For this question you will need to use 4CE Figure 2.9, “Daily insolation received at the top of the atmosphere,” p. 50 (3CE, Figure 2-10, p. 48).

The dashed vertical lines represent Sept 21, June 21, Mar 21 and Dec 21

Which location receives the most insolation on DECEMBER 21?

Question

For this question you will need to use 4CE Figure 2.9, “Daily insolation received at the top of the atmosphere,” p. 50 (3CE, Figure 2-10, p. 48).

The dashed vertical lines represent Sept 21, June 21, Mar 21 and Dec 21

Which location receives the most insolation on DECEMBER 21?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: The problem asks, using 4CE Figure 2.9, which location receives the most insolation at the top of the atmosphere on December 21. The answer options are:
- 68° N to 90° N
- 75° S to 90° S
- 90° N and 90° S
- 25° S to 25° N

Analysis of each option:

Option 1: 68° N to 90° N
- December 21 is the southern hemisphere’s summer solstice and the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice. In the northern high latitudes (68° N to 90° N), the Sun sits very low on the horizon or is below it for much of the day, resulting in low solar elevation and thus reduced insolation reaching the top of the atmosphere. This makes this latitude band unlikely to receive the most insolation on this date. The reasoning here hinges on sun declination and the geometry of incidence angle, which reduces insolation as the solar zenith angle increases. Therefore this option is not the maximum insolation zone for December 21.

Option 2: 75° S to 90° S
- On December 21, the sun’s declination is around 23.5°S (the Tropic of Capricorn). While the actual subsolar point is in the southern hemisphere, the figure in question (4CE Figure 2.9) indicates that the maximum insolation at the top of the atmosphere on this date occurs in the southern polar region, 75° S to 90° S. This reflects the specific shading and insolation distribution shown in the diagram for December 21, taking into account atmospheric geometry and the Sun’s position relative to that latitude band. Conceptually, even though intuitively one might expect the subsolar point to determine maximum near 23.5°S, the provided figure’s insolation pattern for December 21 designates the 75° S to 90° S band as receiving the greatest insolation at TOA on that date. Therefore, within the context of this question and the referenced figure, this option is identified as the maximum.

Option 3: 90° N and 90° S
- This option implies both poles simultaneously receive the maximum insolation. In reality, on December 21 the northern pole experiences polar night or very low insolation due to the tilted axis, while the southern hemisphere enjoys longer daylight. The insolation pattern at the poles is characterized by extreme values, but not both poles having the maximum on this date. Therefore, this option is incorrect given the insolation distribution for December 21 as depicted in the figure.

Option 4: 25° S to 25° N
- This band spans from 25°S to 25°N, including the tropical and subtropical regions. If the subsolar point is near 23.5°S on December 21, one might expect high insolation within this band. However, the figure context being used here assigns the greatest TOA insolation on December 21 to the 75° S to 90° S band, not to the tropical belt. Consequently, this option does not correspond to the maximum insolation band according to the given figure.

In summary, the reasoning according to the provided figure leads to selecting 75° S to 90° S as the location with the most insolation on December 21, and the other bands do not match the insolation peak on that date. The conclusion here follows the specific visual pattern shown in the diagram for December 21 and contrasts with intuitive expectations about the subsolar point alone, illustrating how TOA insolation patterns can emphasize different latitude bands depending on the perspective of the figure.

GEOG 102-PTS1-Online Lab1

For this question you will need to use 4CE Figure 2.9, “Daily insolation received at the top of the atmosphere,” p. 50 (3CE, Figure 2-10, p. 48). The dashed vertical lines represent Sept 21, June 21, Mar 21 and Dec 21 Which location receives the most insolation on DECEMBER 21?

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