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Why is the Peru Current cold?

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World map showing major ocean current systems, with arrows indicating the direction and speed of warm and cold currents in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Southern, and Arctic Oceans. Warm currents are marked in red and cold currents in blue, with currents labeled by name and symbols denoting those that reverse direction seasonally. A legend explains current speed categories and color codes. — ocean current Major ocean current systems of the world.

The Peru Current, also known as the Humboldt Current, is cold primarily because it draws water from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, a deep, cold, and massive flow that circles the Southern Ocean.12

This cold temperature is further intensified by the process of upwelling. This occurs when the combined effects of the Earth’s rotation and the drag of surface trade winds pull deep, nutrient-rich, and cold water toward the surface. By bringing these colder waters up, the current maintains its low temperature relative to the surrounding sea and the air above it.1