Also known as the Peru Current, this ocean current flows northward along the western side of South America, offshore Chile and Peru. There is considerable upwelling of the colder subsurface waters due to the prevailing southerly winds. Dominant weather in this area includes coastal fog and low clouds. The presence or lack of this current is a vital part of the meteorological-oceanographic pattern known as El Niño.
The Humboldt Current is a cold, low salinity ocean current that extends along the West Coast of South America from Northern Peru to the southern tip of Chile. The waters of the Humboldt Current system flow in the direction of the Equator and can extend 1,000 kilometers offshore. The Humboldt Current Large Marine Ecosystem (LME), named after the Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, is one of the major upwelling systems of the world, supporting an extraordinary abundance of marine life.