Aleutian Low

The Aleutian Low is a semi-permanent low-pressure center located in the Gulf of Alaska during the winter months. It is one of the two principal centers of atmospheric action in the Northern Hemisphere's extratropics, alongside the Icelandic Low. The Aleutian Low drives the westerly winds that govern the North Pacific Ocean's circulation, and its intensity and position are modulated by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. From a systems perspective, the Aleutian Low is not merely a weather feature but a boundary condition for the North Pacific's coupled ocean-atmosphere dynamics.