DEFINITION OF HORSE LATITUDES

The mid-latitude regions at about 30–35°N/S

over the oceans characterized by weak winds. In the past, sailing

ships frequently would become stranded in these regions

because of the lack of driving winds, and horses on board had

to be eaten or thrown overboard. The stable air masses in

these latitudes form because air that moves poleward from the

tropics in Hadley cells cools by radiation, and converges in

midlatitudes, since the circumference of a line of latitude is

smaller toward the pole than near the equator. This convergence

increases the mass of the air, and hence the pressure at

the surface, forming subtropical high-pressure systems. This

converging, relatively dry air descends, and warms by compression,

producing clear skies and warm surface conditions,

and resulting in the formation of many of the world’s deserts.

The weak pressure gradients in these systems produce only

very weak winds over the oceans, resulting in the former loss

of many horses at sea.

See also ATMOSPHERE; DESERT; HADLEY CELLS.

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