Primary production
Major upwelling occurs between 23 and 25 degrees northern latitude (Canary Current, 2002). Upwelling occurs year-round at Cap Blanc (Ras Nouadhibou) and northward. South of Cap Blanc, upwelling is limited to winter and spring due to the northward migration of the Azores high during summer, which is responsible for driving equatorward winds. Minas "et al." (1982) showed that at the latitude of Cap Blanc, a front exists that separates North Atlantic Central Water (NACW) and South Atlantic Central Water (SACW). SACW, to the south of Cap Blanc, is richer in nutrients than NACW. A poleward subsurface counter-current is responsible for bringing SACW to the Cap Blanc region resulting in maximal primary production. Primary production to the north is limited by nutrient availability in NACW. Primary production to the south of Cap Blanc is limited by the occurrence of upwelling events.