Biology: How Life Works 2e & LaunchPad for Biology: How Life Works (Twenty-Four Month Access)
Biology: How Life Works 2e & LaunchPad for Biology: How Life Works (Twenty-Four Month Access)
2nd Edition
ISBN: 9781319067793
Author: James Morris, Daniel Hartl, Andrew Knoll, Robert Lue, Melissa Michael, Andrew Berry, Andrew Biewener, Brian Farrell, N. Michele Holbrook
Publisher: W. H. Freeman
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Chapter 48, Problem 1QC
Summary Introduction

To explain:

The effect that climates would have if the earth’s axis was not tilted at 23.5° .

Introduction:

The earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5° from its orbital plane. This axial tilt is referred as obliquity. This is basically the angle between the earth’s orbital axis and rotational axis. The earth revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit with its axis tilted or slanted at 23.5° .

Expert Solution & Answer
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Explanation of Solution

The earth’s axis is not perpendicular to the sun’s rays. It is slightly tilted at an angle of 23.5° from the perpendicular. This tilt is the main reason for temperature variation on the earth. This tilt causes the solar radiations to strike Europe and North American continents more directly in July than in January.

This makes it colder in winter and warmer in summer. In the southern hemisphere, this pattern is reversed with summer in January and winter in July. If the Earth’s axis is not tilted, there would be no seasonal changes. The climate on the earth would not show strong seasonality.

Conclusion

If the earth’s axis was not tilted at a slight angle, there would not be so much variation in seasons.

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