How does upwelling contribute to an abundance of fish

Reed from image by J. Wallace and S. Download image jpg, 43 KB. When the wind blows parallel to a coastline, surface waters are pushed offshore and water is drawn from below to replace the water that has been pushed away.

The upward movement of this deep, colder water is called upwelling. The deeper water that rises to the surface during upwelling is rich in nutrients. Productivity refers to the amount of organic carbon that phytoplankton produce by the process of photosynthesis. This high level of productivity can be seen by looking at levels of chlorophyll in the ocean. The abundance of phytoplankton surrounding the Galapagos Islands provides food for many species of fish, birds and mammals and creates some of the richest fishing grounds in the world.

Previous: Oceanography — The Humboldt Current. Next: Oceanography — Oceanography Quiz. Back Close. How does upwelling occur? In which zone are the majority of the ocean species found?

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