Penven Pierrick auteur aut IRD Echevin V. auteur aut IRD Pasapera J. auteur aut IRD Colas F. auteur aut IRD Tam J. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng [1] The Humboldt Current System is the most productive of the eastern boundary currents. In the northern part, the Peru Current System (PCS) is located between 5 degrees S and 20 degrees S. Along the Peruvian coast, an equatorward wind forces a strong coastal upwelling. A high resolution model is designed to investigate the mean circulation, the seasonal cycle, and the mesoscale dynamics for the PCS. The model is able to reproduce the equatorward Peru Coastal Current (PCC), the Peru Chile Under-Current (PCUC) which follows the shelf break towards the pole, and the Peru-Chile Counter-Current (PCCC) which flows directly towards the south and veers to the west around 15 degrees S. While the upper part of the PCUC is close to the surface and might even outcrop as a counter current, the bottom part follows f/H isolines. The PCCC appears to be directly forced by the cyclonic wind stress curl. The model is able to produce the upwelling front, the cold water tongue which extends toward the equator and the equatorial front as described in the literature. Model seasonal changes in SST and SSH are compared to measurements. For the central PCS, model EKE is 10% to 30% lower than the observations. The model eddy diameters follow a strong equatorward increase. The injection length scales, derived from the energy spectra, strongly correlate to the Rossby radius of deformation, confirming the predominant role of baroclinic instability. At 3 degrees S, the model solution appears to switch from a turbulent oceanic regime to an equatorial regime dominated by zonal currents. specialized ZONE EQUATORIALE PEROU ATLANTIQUE 032 110 C10 NIL_67-NIL_87 2005 0148-0227 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010080236 10.1029/2005JC002945 0148-0227 [F B010080236] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010080236 IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2006-03-29 2021-03-01 fdi:010080236 fre