How does solar radiation (per unit area) vary with increasing latitude?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: How does solar radiation (per unit area) vary with increasing latitude?

Option a: It decreases. This is correct because as latitude increases, the Sun’s rays strike the Earth at a more oblique angle (larger solar zenith angle). The effective area over which the same amount of energy is spread increases, leading to a smaller solar flux per unit area. Additionally, the light traveling through a longer path in the atmosphere loses more energy due to absorption and scattering, further reducing incoming radiation per unit area at higher latitudes.

Option b: It increases. This is incorrect due to the geometric and atmospheric factors described above; higher latitudes do not receive more energy per unit area on average.

Option c: It does not change. This is incorrect because both geometric spreading and atmospheric attenuation vary with latitude, causing a latitudinal gradient in solar radiation per unit area.

Option d: It oscillates between higher and lower. This is inaccurate for a general trend; while seasonal and diurnal variations occur, the long-term average solar radiation per unit area generally decreases with increasing latitude rather than oscillating in a latitude-dependent pattern.

BIO 112-004 - Spring 2025: Biological Concepts and Methods I I (Lecture)

How does solar radiation (per unit area) vary with increasing latitude?

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