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The Galapagos Islands straddle the equator in the Eastern Tropical Pacific about 1000 kilometers west of the South American continent. Deservingly protected as the world’s second largest marine reserve and holding the distinction of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Islands are iconic for their unique and remarkable biodiversity. Situated at the confluence of several tectonic plates, the Islands’ dynamic geological landscape is also unique in the Earth’s oceans. Connecting these two distinctive characteristics are the coastal waters of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. The Galápagos sits amidst and briefly interrupts well developed ocean currents systems that are widely accepted as drivers of global climate. The Archipelago’s location and distinctive bathymetry result in complex hydrodynamics, the full extent and implications of which are yet unknown.

Although the currents of the equatorial Pacific surrounding the Archipelago are generally understood, the precise nature of their interaction with the Galápagos Islands and the resulting local currents are not. This study utilizes the Community Earth System Model (CESM), a fully coupled, global climate model, to investigate characteristics of flow within the Archipelago. The ultra-high-resolution (UHR) dataset from CESM is leveraged to depict surface flow under normal and extreme conditions. Results are in progress. Analyzing the relative difference in conditions, I intend to identify areas of elevated risk and necessity to protect sensitive coastal ecologies. Additional investigation is needed to fully understand hydrodynamics within the Archipelago, yet this study adds to scientific knowledge of regional circulation via a characterization of flow with the Archipelago based on CESM-UHR data.