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For the First Time in 40 Years, Panama's Ocean Lifeline Has Vanished
https://scitechdaily.com/for-the-first-time-in-40-years-panamas-ocean-lifeline-has-vanished/Andrew Sellers and Aaron O’Dea, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Panama’s seasonal upwelling collapsed in 2025, linked to reduced winds. The event signals risks for fisheries and climate-sensitive ocean processes.
Chlorophyll concentrations in the oceans around Panama (blue = low, red = high) in February 2024, showing peak productivity in the Gulf of Panama during a period of typical upwelling. Credit: Aaron O’Dea
Extremely low chlorophyll concentrations in the oceans around Panama (blue = low, red = high) in February 2025, revealing the failure of the 2025 upwelling in the Gulf of Panama—for the first time in at least 40 years. Credit: Aaron O’Dea
The annual phenomenon of upwelling in the Gulf of Panama failed to occur in 2025 for the first time on record. A team of scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) linked the disruption to weakened trade winds.
The finding underscores how changes in climate can directly affect essential ocean processes and the coastal populations that depend on them.
Each year during Central America’s dry season (typically December through April), northern trade winds trigger upwelling in the Gulf of Panama. This process brings cold, nutrient-rich waters from deep in the ocean to the surface, sustaining productive fisheries and shielding coral reefs from heat stress. The rising cool waters also keep the Pacific coast of Panama noticeably cooler during the region’s “summer” vacation months.
STRI researchers have monitored this seasonal cycle for more than four decades, documenting its consistent recurrence between January and April. In 2025, however, the process did not take place, marking the first observed failure. As a result, expected temperature declines and productivity increases were significantly reduced.
. . .
The finding underscores how changes in climate can directly affect essential ocean processes and the coastal populations that depend on them.
Each year during Central America’s dry season (typically December through April), northern trade winds trigger upwelling in the Gulf of Panama. This process brings cold, nutrient-rich waters from deep in the ocean to the surface, sustaining productive fisheries and shielding coral reefs from heat stress. The rising cool waters also keep the Pacific coast of Panama noticeably cooler during the region’s “summer” vacation months.
STRI researchers have monitored this seasonal cycle for more than four decades, documenting its consistent recurrence between January and April. In 2025, however, the process did not take place, marking the first observed failure. As a result, expected temperature declines and productivity increases were significantly reduced.
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