Subpolar Low-Pressure Belt

an area of low atmospheric pressure in the subpolar regions of the northern and southern hemispheres. Subpolar low-pressure belts are mainly encountered above oceans, usually in the regions between 50° and 70° N and S lat. On long-term mean climatic maps, the subpolar low-pressure belts of the northern hemisphere are grouped into two centers of atmospheric activity: the Iceland low and the Aleutian depression (Aleutian low). Such belts in the southern hemisphere surround Antarctica and are not as well differentiated. Subpolar low-pressure belts are characterized by the frequent occurrence of deep cyclones.