The current system in Ecuadorian waters consists of two westward flows: the North Equatorial Current and the South Equatorial Current; and an eastward flow located between the two previous currents, which is the North Equatorial Countercurrent. However, off the coast of Ecuador, there is a direct influence of the South Equatorial Current and we must include the Humboldt Current that bathes the western coast of South America, the El Niño Current coming from the north, off the coast of Panama, and the Equatorial Subcurrent, Cromwell Current.
1.8.1 South Equatorial Current: The South Equatorial Current moves westward on both sides of the equator, its northern boundary is with the Equatorial Countercurrent. The highest velocities are found near the equator with a magnitude of 0.5 m/s.
1.8.2 El Niño Current: The Niño current, named after the baby Jesus, is a current that normally begins to manifest itself around Christmas. It is characterized by warm waters and appears between the months of December and April. This current causes the surface temperature of the sea to rise and its most intense months are February and March. It has a narrow coastal flow from north to south and comes from the Panama basin, going down to the Ecuadorian and Peruvian coasts, warming the sea water and causing plankton mortality. The waters of this current are poor in nutrients, so that during its stay on our coasts, fishing is noticeably reduced.
1.8.3 Humboldt Current: It is related to a more complex system of currents, within which different components can be distinguished: the coastal current that moves very close to the coast, the more distant oceanic current and the Peruvian Countercurrent.
1.8.4 Humboldt Ocean Current: It has a less complex structure than the coastal branch. Its influence extends deeper, reaching a thickness of 600 m, and transports cold, low-salinity waters to the north.
1.8.5 Peru Countercurrent: It moves between the coastal and oceanic branches of the Humboldt Sea in opposite directions, from north to south. It is warmer and more saline.
1.8.6 Humboldt Coastal Current: It flows in a north-westerly direction, bordering the coasts of Peru, and continues uphill until it reaches the Ecuadorian coast, and then joins the South Equatorial Current system. The Humboldt Coastal Current, also known as the Peru Current, is characterized by its cold waters and occurs on our coasts between the months of May and November.
This current marks the beginning of the change of season in Ecuador, since when its waters reach the Ecuadorian coasts, there is a decrease in the surface temperature of the sea and the air.
The Humboldt Current is very favourable for fishing as its waters are rich in nutrients due to their high salinity. The months of greatest intensity of this current are between July and September and it gradually weakens until it disappears completely in December, a time when the so-called El Niño current appears with characteristics totally contrary to those of the Humboldt Current.
1.8.7 Equatorial Undercurrent: It is also called the Cromwell Current, it is a very important feature in the equatorial ocean circulation, which is part of the Current System in the Eastern Pacific, it was discovered in 1952, currently its presence has been established along the entire equatorial belt in the Pacific Ocean.
The Equatorial Undercurrent is a subsurface current that flows eastward along the equatorial Pacific, it is symmetrical near the equator, has a thickness of about 300 m and a width of 400 km;
The core of this current is located between 50 and 150 m deep and reaches speeds of approximately 1.5 m/s.
Upon reaching the Galapagos Islands, this flow weakens and splits into two branches: one to the north and one to the south of the Islands. The southern branch heads southeast, feeding the upwellings that occur along the northern coast of Peru.
Fountain: Inocar route
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