Gulf of Panama Upwelling Fails, Raising Climate Change Concerns

A predictable ocean pattern did not happen as expected this year, raising alarm about the growing impacts of climate change. Here is what you need to know about the curious absence of the seasonal upwelling typically observed in the Gulf of Panama.

Absence of Upwelling in the Gulf of Panama Concerning to Scientists

Scientists are growing concerned about the failure of the seasonal upwelling pattern that naturally happens in the world's oceans. Upwelling happens when warm air mixes in with cold air and cold water runs after the warm water in the ocean. This predictable dance of currents happens all over Earth.

According to the study leaders from the Smithsonian Institution's Tropical Research Institute, northern trade winds work to create upwelling events throughout the waters of the Gulf of Panama. This process brings cold and nutrient-rich waters from the bottom of the ocean up to the surface. These exchanges support the marine life that call these waters home while also protecting coral reefs from rising ocean water temperatures. The upwelling means that the sea along the Pacific coast of Panama remains cooler even during the summer season.

Without this critical oceanographic process this year, the usual drops in the ocean water temperatures did not happen. This translated to a weakening of the typical increase in fisheries and other types of productivity.

The failure of the cold waters in the Gulf of Panama to emerge this season is raising worries that this could be yet another disruption to the world's delicate ecosystems. This is the first time since records began four decades ago that scientists have not observed this annual upwelling. The Gulf of Panama's upwelling system has predictably brought the cool and nutrient-rich waters to the basin every year between January and April.

Climatologists are now warning that this absence could be indicative of a climate tipping point brought on by global warming. The observations were reported earlier in the month in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.