Regions of Calms

Calms, Regions of, areas characterized by little or no wind. They include horse latitudes, subpolar regions, and the equatorial doldrums. Horse latitudes lie between 30 degrees north latitude and 30 degrees south. The calms of Cancer and of Capricorn both fall within the horse latitudes. Calms in the subpolar regions are caused by the sinking of the cold air over the North and South poles, which forms high-pressure centers. In the equatorial doldrums, air masses are forced upwards after being heated in the tropics, causing a belt of low pressure to form.

See also: Doldrums; Horse latitudes.