Galápagos upwelling driven by localized wind–front interactions

Abstract The Galápagos archipelago, rising from the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean some 900 km off South American mainland, hosts an iconic and globally significant biological hotspot. islands are renowned for their unique wealth of endemic species, which inspired Charles Darwin’s theory evolution today underpins one largest UNESCO World Heritage Sites Marine Reserves on Earth. regional ecosystem is sustained by strongly seasonal oceanic upwelling events—upward surges cool, nutrient-rich deep waters that fuel growth phytoplankton upon entire thrives. Yet despite its critical life-supporting role, upwelling’s controlling factors remain undetermined. Here, we use a realistic model ocean circulation to show intensity governed local northward winds, generate vigorous submesoscale circulations at upper-ocean fronts west islands. These flows drive interior into surface mixed layer. Our findings thus demonstrate controlled highly localized atmosphere–ocean interactions, call focus these processes in assessing mitigating ecosystem’s vulnerability 21st-century climate change.