Why is there a difference in the heat budget at various latitudes despite the Earth as a whole having a balanced heat budget? What happens at polar and tropical latitudes?
· The heat budget varies with latitude because the sun hits latitudes at different angles which then alters the distribution area of that solar radiation.
· Polar latitudes receive the sun's radiation from a very low angle. Although the amount of radiation from the sun is constant, the distribution of that radiation spreads over a larger area. Also, the radiation must travel through more of the atmosphere before reaching the surface of the Earth. These factors contribute to a high level of reflection of light energy in these regions.
· Tropical latitudes receive the sun's radiation from a nearly vertical angle. The same amount of solar energy being projected to the poles is concentrated into a smaller area. There is less atmosphere to travel through and minimal reflection.
· There is more solar energy received in tropical latitudes than polar latitudes.
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