Oceanic water flowing northwards along the west coast of Chile and Peru, driven by the westward flow of the S. Equatorial current (itself driven by south-east trade winds). It is essentially a ‘continuity current’: water flows into the low-sea-level region left by the S. Equatorial current. This eastern boundary current is slow-moving, broad, and shallow, and is noted for a prominent area of upwelling bringing cold bottom waters to the surface. As the near-surface concentrations of nutrient elements are high there is an abundance of marine life associated with this current.