Azores high Semi-permanent anticyclonic region with subsiding air over the Atlantic Ocean at around 30° N latitude. Movement of the system poleward in summer has a major impact upon the climate of Europe. The aridity of the Sahara Desert and the adjacent Mediterranean region is due to the subsidence of air in this high-pressure system. See AIR MASS; and ANTICYCLONE.

Azores high A semi-permanent anticyclonic region with subsiding air over the Atlantic Ocean at around 30°N latitude. Movement of the system poleward in summer has a major impact upon the climate of Europe. The aridity of the Sahara Desert and the adjacent Mediterranean region is due to the subsidence of air in this high-pressure system. See air mass and anticyclone.