upwelling
noun
up·well·ing
| \ ˌəp-ˈwe-liŋ
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Definition of upwelling
: 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
Oceanic life on Earth depends on an upward flow, or upwelling, which moves nutrients from the dark depths to sunlit portions where photosynthetic life thrives. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Exoplanets could have better conditions for life than Earth, study says," 23 Aug. 2019 As this tip propagated through the plate’s weak zone toward the west, mantle upwelling might have melted the crust above, resulting in explosions of rhyolitic magma that follow the age progression seen at the surface. — National Geographic, "A tectonic plate is dying under Oregon. Here’s why that matters.," 29 July 2019 In addition to warm waters, Frankovich says red tides are fueled by naturally occurring upwellings of nutrient-rich water. — Tom Metcalfe, NBC News, "What is red tide?," 13 July 2019 Some of the nutrients came from natural sources, the result of upwelling of nutrient-rich water along the western coast of Africa, the team of oceanographers reports today in Science. — Katie Langin, Science | AAAS, "This is the world’s largest patch of seaweed. And it’s growing in an unexpected place," 4 July 2019 Jackson, like many geologists, believes that the source of the eruptions was the Iceland plume, a hypothetical upwelling of solid rock that may rise, like the globules in a lava lamp, from deep inside Earth. — Quanta Magazine, "Explorers Find Passage to Earth’s Dark Age," 22 Dec. 2016 However, deep trenches in the Pacific Ocean near the islands facilitate the upwelling of significantly cooler water. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Hurricane Lane likely to skirt Hawaiian islands, but flooding probable [Updated]," 22 Aug. 2018 Because of climate change, the probable range of hurricanes in the Central Pacific should extend farther north as warming sea surface temperatures counteract the effects of cold water upwelling. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Hurricane Lane likely to skirt Hawaiian islands, but flooding probable [Updated]," 22 Aug. 2018 The water temperature was 54 degrees and rich with plankton from months of north winds and upwelling. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Chart-buster times: salmon to whales, bears to bighorns," 8 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upwelling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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