Incoming solar radiation received at the top of the atmosphere varies with latitude due to

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks why incoming solar radiation at the top of the atmosphere varies with latitude.

Option provided: 'the spherical shape of the earth'

To understand this, consider how latitude affects the angle at which sunlight strikes the planet. On a spherical Earth, rays hit near the equator more directly (closer to perpendicular incidence), delivering more concentrated energy per unit area. Toward the poles, sunlight arrives at a steeper angle, spreading the same solar energy over a larger surface area and reducing the energy per unit area. This geometric effect is a direct consequence of the Earth's curvature.

Additionally, latitude influences the path length of sunlight through the atmosphere; at higher latitudes the sun follows a lower path in the sky, increasing the atmospheric distance the light travels and causing more scattering and absorption, which further reduces the radiation reaching the surface. However, at the top of the atmosphere, the primary driver of latitudinal variation is the angle of incidence caused by the Earth's curvature.

If there were other answer choices, we would assess them similarly: any option that attributes the variation to non-geometric factors without referencing the Earth's shape or the angle of incidence would be incorrect. Likewise, options that ignore the fundamental geometry or imply uniform radiation across latitudes would be inconsistent with the observed patterns of solar input.

CLMTGR5001_002_2025_3 - Dynamics of Climate Variability and Chan PRACTICE QUIZ: Week 4 Lecture 1

Incoming solar radiation received at the top of the atmosphere varies with latitude due to

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