Does temperature increase when latitude increase and why do the climates of the low latitudes the high latitudes and the middle latitudes differ?
The climate of different latitudes is due to the tilt of the Earth's orbit, 23.5º from the perpendicular. Warmest temperatures at a particular location on the Earth occur when that location is tilted towards the Sun - during the summer. There is no exact definition where that boundary lies but the high latitude is situated around the 60° magnetic latitude and higher; the middle latitudes between the 50° and 60° magnetic latitude and everything below the 50° magnetic latitude is considered to be in the category of low latitude and because of the curve of the Earth a sunbeam of Insolation hitting the Earth at higher latitudes has to spread out over a larger surface area than one reaching the Equator. Thus lowering the amount of Insulation per km2 in more Northerly and Southerly latitudes. As you move away from the equator towards the poles, the earth's surface becomes more angled to the incoming sunlight due to the spherical shape of the earth. Because of this, the intensity of sunlight received decreases as we move from the equator to poles. Hence, temperature decreases as latitude increases.
Hi,
The angle of solar radiation is the main one, but it is just one of several factors affecting local/regional temperature. Every region in the same latitudinal belt does not experience the same temperature.
The second major factor could be terrain height. Also, there are several other factors and I will leave it to you to explore.
Regards,
Kishore
Low latitudes are those locations found between the Equator (0 degrees N/S) and 30 degrees N/S. The middle latitudes are found between 30 degrees N/S and 60 degrees N/S. And the high latitudes are found between 60 degrees N/S and the poles (90 degrees N/S). The first three climate zones relate to latitude. Tropical climates occur near the equator, in the low latitudes. Temperate climates occur about halfway between the equator and the poles, in the middle latitudes. Polar climates occur near the poles, in the high latitudes. In general, the farther from the equator an area is, the colder and snowier it will be. This is because higher-latitude regions receive less light and energy from the Sun than low-latitude, tropical areas. At high latitudes, ocean waters receive less sunlight – the poles receive only 40 percent of the heat that the equator does. These variations in solar energy mean that the ocean surface can vary in temperature from a warm 30°C (86°F) in the tropics to a very cold -2°C (28°F) near the poles. In the lower latitudes, such as the tropics , temperatures are the highest. This is because the sun's rays travel a shorter distance to the Equator (hitting the earth at less of an angle) and are therefore more concentrated, resulting in higher temperatures. There is a relationship between latitude and temperature around the world, as temperatures are typically warmer approaching the Equator and cooler approaching the Poles. There are variations, though, as other factors such as elevation, ocean currents, and precipitation affect climate patterns.
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