Cold current
Topic: Movements of Ocean Water: Waves, Tides and Currents · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 13 "Movements of Ocean Water"
Meaning
A cold current is an ocean current that carries cold water into warmer areas. In low and middle latitudes, cold currents flow along the west coasts of continents. In high northern latitudes, they flow along the east coasts. Cold water cools the air above it. This makes the air stable, so rain is rare and fog is common. That is why many coastal deserts lie beside cold currents. Upwelling often comes with them: cold, nutrient-rich water rises from below and feeds rich fisheries.
Example
The Humboldt (Peru) Current flows north along the coasts of Chile and Peru. It helps make the Atacama the driest non-polar desert, and its upwelling feeds the huge anchoveta fishery.
Don't confuse with
- Warm current: carries warm water into colder areas, and in low and middle latitudes it flows on east coasts. Saying "cold currents flow on all west coasts" is false. In high northern latitudes, west coasts have warm currents, such as the North Atlantic Drift off Norway.
Related concepts
- Ocean current
- Forces driving ocean currents
- Ekman transport
- Gyre
- Surface currents
- Deep water currents
- Warm current