Final answer:
San Diego experiences ocean upwelling, where deep ocean waters rise, and nutrients are brought to the surface due to prevailing winds along the coastline.
Step-by-step explanation:
In San Diego, there is an ocean upwelling process taking place. Ocean upwelling is characterized by the rising of deep ocean waters that occurs when prevailing winds blow along surface waters near a coastline. The wind causes the surface waters to move offshore, which in turn makes water from the ocean bottom move to the surface, bringing with it valuable nutrients from the depths.
These nutrients are vital for supporting marine life, as they are essentially recycling the energy contained within organisms that have died and sunk to the ocean floor. The replenished nutrients fuel the food chain by becoming available for reuse in photosynthesis and by other living organisms.