Upwell

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To ascend or flow from depths to the surface, particularly in aquatic environments
2. To rise or flow upward from the bottom layers to the surface, especially in fluids such as water, often carrying particulates or nutrients along the way
3. To move upward from a lower level, commonly referring to fluids like water moving toward the surface

Etymology: "Upwell" is a straightforward compound: the prefix "up-" joined to "well," the verb meaning to spring or gush forth from the ground. "Well" in this sense goes back to Old English "wiella," a spring or fountain, and the same idea survives in the older noun "well" for a source of water. Put "up-" in front and the verb means to well up, to rise from below to the surface. The compound makes the physical picture plain. A spring "wells" out of the earth, and "upwell" adds the direction, so water or other fluid rises from deep layers toward the top. That is why the term suits oceanography, where cold, nutrient-rich water is pushed up from the depths, and it is used for any liquid that surges from below.

Synonyms: rise, surfacing, ascend, emerge, float up

Antonyms: sink, descend, submerge, drop, plummet