Eastern Pacific High Sea

The Pacific off the Atacama coast is a meeting place of desert and cool, productive ocean. The northward-flowing Humboldt Current and rising deep water bring nutrients to the surface, feeding fish and seabirds. On the coast, fog known as camanchaca gathers against the steep coastal range and supplies moisture where rain is scarce. Fishing peoples used the resources of these waters and exchanged dried fish and other marine goods with inland communities.