PERU CIMffiKT (Peru Coastal Current, Humboldt Current) 



The Peru Current is a narrow, fairly stable current that flows 

 northward close to the South American coast. Knowledge of this 

 current dates from 1522, and its nomenclature has been confused for 

 years; the original synonymous term "Humboldt Current," based on 

 Humboldt's observations in l802, may be more appropriate since the 

 current originates from the central portion of Chile at about i^O''S 

 and flows past Peru and Ecuador to the southwest extremity of 

 Colombia. 



The Peru Current has been identified as occupying two distinct 

 regions; the inshore cunrent often is referred to as the Peru 

 Coastal Current, and the offshore current is described as the Peru 

 Oceanic Current. However, these terms have been used arbitrarily, and 

 the distinction is made principally from the biological characteristics 

 in the upper layers. In this report the Peru Current is shown in 

 Figure 9, and the limits are based on persistence and speed derived 

 from thousands of surface drift observations. 



Although identified in some references as the most outstanding 

 current in the Southern Hemisphere, the Peru Current is not very 

 strong but has a mean speed of 0.9 knot in the northern region where 

 the flow is most persistent. The surface flow extends to about 300 

 meters, and the volume transport is estimated to be 26.8 x 10° m'^/sec 

 at about 5°S. 



The Peru Current is a relatively cool flow that originates from 

 water of the South Pacific Current and the West Wind Drift wiiere these 



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