Discuss the various geographical factors that can, both singularly and in combination, affect temperature

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: Latitude: Not only does latitude influence the average temperature, it also affects seasonal patterns. The tilt of Earth's axis influences the amount of solar radiation available at any latitude on any particular day. Within the tropics, there is relatively little annual variation in the length of day and the midday solar angle, so energy receipts exhibit little change through the course of the year. Outside the tropics, the noontime solar angles exhibit a range of 47°, with the lowest solar angles coinciding with the periods of shorter days. As a result, the availability of incoming radiation (and therefore the temperature) is more variable as distance from the equator increases. Altitude: temperatures in the troposphere typically decrease with altitude above sea level. This occurs because the surface is the primary source of direct heating for the troposphere, and increased altitude implies a greater distance from the energy source. Surface type: Water bodies are far more conservative than land surfaces with regard to their temperature, meaning that they take longer to warm and cool when subjected to comparable energy gains and losses.