upwelling

noun

up·​well·​ing ˌəp-ˈwe-liŋ How to pronounce upwelling (audio)
: 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 But upwelling of seawater seems to be a common factor — and strong upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water is currently hugging the Central California coastline. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2024 Another formation mechanism could be a superstorm, an upwelling of warmer material from Jupiter’s depths that punches out to the cloud tops. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 12 July 2024 Simulating such an event on Jupiter, the scientists found that this could form a single anticyclonic system, but, like the merging vortices, a singular upwelling of material couldn’t scale up to reach the GRS’s observed size and shape. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 12 July 2024 The good news is that powerful hurricanes such as Beryl often consume heat energy, and can create upwellings of cool water. Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for upwelling 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upwelling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of upwelling was in 1868

Dictionary Entries Near upwelling

Cite this Entry

“Upwelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upwelling. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

upwelling

noun
up·​well·​ing ˌəp-ˈwel-iŋ How to pronounce upwelling (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on upwelling

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!