[amp_mcq option1=”The earth is closer to the sun in January” option2=”The earth is farther from the sun in July” option3=”Over 80% of the Southern Hemisphere is covered with water” option4=”The sun’s energy is less intense in the Southern Hemisphere” correct=”option3″]
The correct answer is: C. Over 80% of the Southern Hemisphere is covered with water.
The Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane. This means that the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun during the Northern Hemisphere summer, and the Southern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun during the Southern Hemisphere summer. However, the Earth’s orbit around the sun is not a perfect circle, but rather an ellipse. This means that the Earth is slightly closer to the sun in January (the Northern Hemisphere summer) than it is in July (the Southern Hemisphere summer). However, this difference in distance is very small, and it does not account for the much larger difference in temperature between the two hemispheres during their respective summers.
The main reason why summers in the Southern Hemisphere are not as warm as summers in the Northern Hemisphere is that over 80% of the Southern Hemisphere is covered with water. Water has a high heat capacity, which means that it takes a lot of energy to change its temperature. This means that the oceans in the Southern Hemisphere absorb a lot of the sun’s energy during the summer, but they do not release that energy back into the atmosphere as quickly as land does. This results in lower temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere during the summer.
The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:
- Option A: The Earth is actually closer to the sun in January than it is in July. However, this difference in distance is very small, and it does not account for the much larger difference in temperature between the two hemispheres during their respective summers.
- Option B: The Earth is actually farther from the sun in July than it is in January. However, this difference in distance is very small, and it does not account for the much larger difference in temperature between the two hemispheres during their respective summers.
- Option D: The sun’s energy is not less intense in the Southern Hemisphere than it is in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun’s energy is the same everywhere on Earth.