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horse latitudes
horse latitudes two belts of latitude where winds are light and the weather is hot and dry. They are located mostly over the oceans, at about 30° lat. in each hemisphere, and have a north-south range of about 5° as they follow the seasonal migration of the sun. The horse latitudes are associated with the subtropical anticyclone and the large-scale descent of air from high-altitude currents moving toward the poles. After reaching the earth's surface, this air spreads toward the equator as part of the prevailing trade winds or toward the poles as part of the westerlies. The belt in the Northern Hemisphere is sometimes called the "calms of Cancer" and that in the Southern Hemisphere the "calms of Capricorn." The term horse latitudes supposedly originates from the days when Spanish sailing vessels transported horses to the West Indies. Ships would often become becalmed in mid-ocean in this latitude, thus severely prolonging the voyage; the resulting water shortages would make it necessary for crews to throw their horses overboard. |
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"horse latitudes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "horse latitudes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-horselat.html "horse latitudes." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-horselat.html |
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horse latitudes
horse latitudes, areas of the ocean between latitudes 30° and 35° which lie between the generally westerly winds of the higher latitudes and the trade winds, usually areas of prolonged calms. The name is said to come from the act of throwing the ‘dead horse’ overboard. This was because, in the days of square-riggers, it took, from the start of the voyage to sailing clear of these areas of calm, about the same amount of time as it did for seamen to work off the advance of pay they had received on signing their articles.
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"horse latitudes." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "horse latitudes." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-horselatitudes.html "horse latitudes." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-horselatitudes.html |
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horse latitudes
horse latitudes Subtropical latitudes, coinciding with a major anticyclonic belt, which are characterized by generally settled weather and light or moderate winds. When sailing ships carrying cargoes of horses were becalmed in these latitudes, horses would sometimes be thrown overboard, mainly to reduce the demand for drinking water.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "horse latitudes." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "horse latitudes." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-horselatitudes.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "horse latitudes." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-horselatitudes.html |
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horse latitudes
horse latitudes Subtropical latitudes coinciding with a major anticyclonic belt; they are characterized by generally settled weather and light or moderate winds. When sailing ships carrying cargoes of horses were becalmed in these latitudes, horses would sometimes be thrown overboard, mainly to reduce the demand for drinking water.
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Cite this article
AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "horse latitudes." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "horse latitudes." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-horselatitudes.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "horse latitudes." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-horselatitudes.html |
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horse latitudes
horse latitudes a belt of calm air and sea occurring in both the northern and southern hemispheres between the trade winds and the westerlies.
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"horse latitudes." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "horse latitudes." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-horselatitudes.html "horse latitudes." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-horselatitudes.html |
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