upwelling

noun

up·​well·​ing ˌəp-ˈwe-liŋ 

: the process or an instance of rising or appearing to rise to the surface and flowing outward

especially : the process of upward movement to the ocean surface of deeper cold usually nutrient-rich waters especially along some shores due to the offshore movement of surface waters (as from the action of winds and the Coriolis force)

Examples of upwelling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And seabed curtains could divert warm water toward other glaciers, the paper argues, or disrupt the upwelling of nutrients that feed phytoplankton—a crucial food for many other species. —Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025

In a reverse process—artificial upwelling—cooler, nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean would be pumped to the surface to spur phytoplankton growth. —ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2025

The magma that fed these massive eruptions may have come from a plume-like upwelling from the mantle called a hot spot. —David Bressan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025

The next summer, currents brought nutrient-rich water to the surface in a process called cold water upwelling. —Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 26 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for upwelling

• bookselling
• compelling
• dispelling
• excelling
• expelling
• foretelling
• impelling
• indwelling
• labelling
• marvelling
• misspelling
• modelling

Kids Definition

upwelling

noun

up·​well·​ing ˌəp-ˈwel-iŋ 

: the process or an example of rising or appearing to rise to the surface and flowing outward

especially : the process of movement of deeper cooler layers of ocean water that are often rich in nourishing substances to the surface