If the Earth's axial tilt were smaller (10 degrees instead of 23 1/2 degrees)

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks us to reason about how changing the Earth's axial tilt would affect seasonal temperature variations.
Option 1: 'seasonal temperature variations would be the same' would be incorrect because the tilt angle is a primary factor in how sunlight is distributed across seasons; reducing tilt reduces the difference between seasons.
Option 2: 'seasonal temperature variations would be larger' runs counter to the physics: a smaller tilt means less variation in solar incidence over the year, so seasons would not become more extreme.
Option 3: 'all seasons would be hotter' is a misinterpretation. A change in tilt shifts insolation patterns but does not uniformly raise temperatures everywhere; some areas might warm or cool differently, but the key effect is the magnitude of seasonal swings, not a universal warming.
Option 4: 'all seasons would be cooler' similarly assumes a uniform cooling, which is not supported by the role of tilt. The tilt affects seasonal contrast more than a blanket rise or fall in average temperatures.
Option 5: 'seasonal temperature variations would be smaller' aligns with the understanding that a smaller axial tilt reduces the seasonal angle of sunlight across the year, leading to milder differences between summer and winter temperatures, and thus smaller seasonal variations.
Overall, recognizing that axial tilt modulates the distribution of solar energy between seasons explains why reducing tilt dampens seasonal swings rather than maintaining them, warming all seasons, or cooling them uniformly. The core takeaway is that the magnitude of seasonal variation tracks the tilt angle, with smaller tilt yielding smaller seasonal contrast.

ASTRON 2140 AU2025 (23428) Final - 2025 Dec 12

If the Earth's axial tilt were smaller (10 degrees instead of 23 1/2 degrees)

查看解析

登录即可查看完整答案

类似问题

The seasons on the Earth is due to:

Seasonality in climate is caused directly by

The seasons on Earth are mainly due to:

What would reduce Earth's seasonal variations in temperature?

What is the cause of the seasons on Earth?

The alignment of the Earth's axis at about 23.5o angle from perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic is called:

Changes in the angle of the Earth's axial tilt does not impact on the intensity of the seasons.

更多留学生实用工具

考试浏览器助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单