Why surface temperatures of oceans are highest near equator but lowest near poles & place closer to poles is always colder than place that is closer to equator?
Areas near the equator receive more direct solar radiation than areas near the poles. However, these areas do not constantly get warmer and warmer, because the ocean currents and winds transport the heat from the lower latitudes near the equator to higher latitudes near the poles. Due to the spherical shape of the Earth, sunlight falls on different parts at different angles. Direct and focused sun rays falls on the equator and hence, the regions here are hotter and warmer. The Polar Regions receive diffused sun rays, which is why the areas there are colder.
In the Polar Regions, the sun rays are slanting. They are spread on a larger area. Hence, places near the Equator receive more heat and are hotter. Due to the spherical shape of the Earth, sunlight falls on different parts at different angles. Direct and focused sun rays falls on the equator and hence, the regions here are hotter and warmer. The polar regions receive diffused sun rays, which is why the areas there are colder. Both the Arctic (North Pole) and the Antarctic (South Pole) are very cold because they get very little direct sunlight. The Sun is always low on the horizon, even in the middle of summer. In winter, the Sun is so far below the horizon that it doesn't come up at all for months at a time. Because the Earth is nearly round, the equator receives direct light, and the poles receive slanted light, with a gradation in between. Due to the differential heating of the Earth's surface it is always warmer at the equator than at the poles. Looking at the polar regions through the eyes of a physicist, the Arctic and Antarctic are regions where the lack of solar radiation and the high proportion of heat reflection due to the albedo effect result in temperatures that are lower by far than in other regions of the world. The temperature of the Polar Regions is significantly colder than the equatorial regions because the sun's rays are not directly at the poles. Thus poles receive the slanted rays of the sun. The equator is a crucial imaginary line that separates the north and south hemispheres, and therefore it gets direct sunlight. 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. The ocean receives most of its heat along the equator, where incoming solar radiation is about double that received at the poles. Hence, sea surfaces are much warmer along the equator than at the poles. Sunlight hits the Earth most directly at the Equator. The curve of the Earth means that sunlight is spread over a wider area the further you move from the Equator. Sunlight hits a smaller surface area at the Equator so heats up quickly compared to the poles.Due to the spherical shape of the Earth, sunlight falls on different parts at different angles. Direct and focused sun rays falls on the equator and hence, the regions here are hotter and warmer. The polar regions receive diffused sun rays, which is why the areas there are colder.
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