Upwelling is ecologically important because water moving from the ocean bottom to the surface brings up:

1. Many organisms sink to the bottom of the ocean when they die in the open water. 2. When this occurs, the energy and nutrients found in that organism are sequestered for some time unless ocean upwelling occurs. 3. When wind blows offshore, it causes water from the ocean bottom to move to the surface, bringing up nutrients from the ocean depths. 4. As a result, the energy and nutrients once contained in dead organisms become available for reuse by other living organisms. 5. That is why upwelling zones are among the most productive fisheries on Earth. _Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 35 'Ecology and the Biosphere', sections 35.1-35.5_