The Oceanography of the Peruvian Littoral with Reference to the Abundance and Distribution of Marine Life

The Humboldt Current, which flows northward along the Pacific coast of South America, is directly responsible for certain striking phenomena of oceanic distribution. It is responsible also for the existence in littoral waters of a vast abundance of marine organisms, upon which are dependent in turn unsurpassed fisheries resources, as well as the remarkable modern Peruvian guano industry concerning which authoritative information has recently become available.' Hydrographic and biological investigations in the Humboldt Current strike, therefore, at the roots of important problems of ecology, of the geographic distribution of life, and of the application of science to economic affairs. A discussion of these subjects in the light of information acquired during a recent expedition of the Brooklyn Museum2 is the object of the present paper.