Which cold, low-salinity ocean current flows north-westward along the west coast of South America from the southern tip of Chile to northern Peru and can extend 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) offshore?
Humboldt Current Humboldt Current The Humboldt Current, also called the Peru Current, is a cold, low-salinity ocean current that flows north along the western coast of South America. It is an eastern boundary current flowing in the direction of the equator, and extends offshore. The Humboldt Current is named after the Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt. In 1846, von Humboldt reported measurements of the cold-water current in his book "Cosmos". The current extends from the southern Chile (~45th parallel south) to northern Peru (~4th parallel south) where cold, upwelled waters intersect warm tropical waters to form the Equatorial Front. Sea surface temperatures
Humboldt Current weaker limb continues to flow equatorward. Around 18th parallel south the fresh, cold waters begin to mix with the warm, high salinity Subtropical Surface waters. This collision causes partial subductions. Within this region, the equatorial undercurrent (EUC) flows eastward along the equator, feeding the Peru-Chile undercurrent (PCU) that moves poleward. Off the coast of central Chile, there is a coastal transition zone (CTZ), which is characterized by high eddy kinetic energy. This energy forms mesoscale eddies which extend offshore. The CTZ has three distinct regions within its boundaries: 1) high chlorophyll-a concentrations in wide regions off the coast of Peru