Latitudinal variations, Biology

Assignment Help:

Latitudinal Variations

The latitudinal variation of temperature over the earth is the result of two main variables

  • incoming solar radiation and
  • the distribution of land and water masses

 

What do you think could be the other factors influencing temperature?

The movement of wind and water, and the direction of slopes of hills and mountains also modify the temperature.

We know that the length of the day varies at higher latitudes. That means the incoming solar radiation varies. However, if we compute the average, every point on the earth gets the same total hours of daylight each year, an average of 12 hours per day, but not the same amount of heat. The latter depends upbn the amount of radiant energy delivered/unit area/hr and this depends upon the angle of landing sunlight. You have learnt in the previous section that vertical beams afe more intense than the oblique beams that land on the higher latitudes. Hence we find a gradual decrease in the amount of incident radiant energytunit area along the increasing latitudes, horizontally.

On the basis of temperature variation three distinct heat zones can be distinguished in each hemisphere (Figure shown below). The hot torrid zones are near the equator. moderate or temperate zones are in the middle, the cold zones are at the poles. Each zone is characterised by typical plants and animal populations found in the area.

1963_heat zones.jpg


Related Discussions:- Latitudinal variations

Explain noncompetitive inhibition, Noncompetitive inhibition In  this ...

Noncompetitive inhibition In  this  type  of  inhibition, the inhibitor binds at  a site  on  the  enzyme  other  than catalytic site. As there is no competition between the s

What are the differences between astral and anastral mitosis, What are the ...

What are the differences between astral and anastral mitosis? Astral mitosis is that in which there is structure of the aster, a structure made by the centrioles. Anastral mito

Conditions necessary for outbreak of staphylococcal food, Q. Conditions Nec...

Q. Conditions Necessary for Outbreak of staphylococcal food? The following conditions are necessary for an outbreak of staphylococcal food poisoning: 1. The food must conta

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Bovine spongiform encephalopathy The ...

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy The bovine transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), known as 'mad cow disease'-first noticed in Great Britain in 1986, is similar to scra

How the molecule would increase in mass slightly, Suppose many of the atoms...

Suppose many of the atoms of nitrogen in a double-stranded molecule of DNA, of isotope N-14, were replaced with the isotope N-15. What afffect would this have? a) The nitrogeneo

Agro industrial-glycosides, Glycosides Calcinogenic glycosides: C...

Glycosides Calcinogenic glycosides: Certain plants contain glycosides of the active metabolite of vitamin D. The metabolite is called 1, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol or mo

What are the consequences of iodine deficiency disorders, What are the cons...

What are the consequences of iodine deficiency disorders? As discussed earlier under signs and symptoms, the consequences of IDD include: mental retardation, other defects in t

What is immune memory, How can an organism that once underwent contact with...

How can an organism that once underwent contact with an antigen be immunized against future infections by the same agent? This phenomenon is known as immune memory . When an a

Long distance transport, Long Distance Transport Once in the xylem ves...

Long Distance Transport Once in the xylem vessels, the transport of the mineral elements from the root to the shoot is driven by the gradient of hydrostatic pressure (root pre

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd