subantarctic

American  

[suhb-ant-ahrk-tik, -ahr-tik] / ˌsʌb æntˈɑrk tɪk, -ˈɑr tɪk /

Sometimes sub-Antarctic

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, similar to, or being the region immediately north of the Antarctic Circle; subpolar.

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subantarctic British  

/ ˌsʌbæntˈɑːktɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to latitudes immediately north of the Antarctic Circle

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subantarctic Scientific  

/ sŭb′ănt-ärk′tĭk,-är′tĭk /

1. Relating to the geographic area just north of the Antarctic Circle. The subantarctic region is the coldest part of the South Temperate Zone.

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Etymology

Origin of subantarctic

First recorded in 1870–75; sub- + Antarctic

Example Sentences

There, in the subantarctic zone, the research team extracted two extensive drill cores, gathered at a depth of 3600 metres.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2024

But over hundreds of years, human hunting diminished their numbers and drove them to subantarctic islands hundreds of miles south.

From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2021

Why these sea lions, which are estimated at about 10,000 animals, are returning to New Zealand from their subantarctic island habitat is something of a mystery.

From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2021

And archaeologists have observed ovens, middens and stone tools on subantarctic islands dating back as early as the 14th century, suggesting that Polynesian people lived in the region for at least one summer.

From New York Times • Jul. 2, 2021

Polynesian food production depended mainly on agriculture, which was impossible at subantarctic latitudes because all Polynesian crops were tropical ones initially domesticated outside Polynesia and brought in by colonists.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond