![]() ![]() This image shows global sea level pressure in hectopascal on June 24, 2020. Meteorologists look at spatial variations and changes in air pressure to figure out how air masses are moving and predict how weather will change. How much of the sun's energy reaches the ground in a particular region depends on the angle and duration of sunlight, affected by Earth's tilt, as well as factors such as cloud cover and elevation. Because the sun stays above the horizon around the clock in summer, the Arctic is sometimes called the “land of the midnight sun.” The sun rises to its maximum height at the summer solstice, usually around June 21, but depending on the year can also occur on June 20 or 22. Depending on latitude, the seasonal difference in the duration of light and dark is greater closer to the pole or smaller closer to the Equator.Īt the North Pole, the sun sets on the autumnal equinox (around September 21) and stays below the horizon until the following vernal equinox (around March 21). Seasons are smallest near the Equator, and greatest at the poles, where daylight and nighttime can last months. The Earth's tilt creates differences in the length of daylight and nighttime. Credit: Przemysław Idzkiewicz/Wikimedia Commons This illustration shows Earth's tilt during the summer (left) and winter (right) solstices. Whatever the season in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere is in the opposite season. Earth's axis is tilted, however, and depending on where Earth is on its annual trip around the sun, the Northern Hemisphere is either tilted towards the sun (summer), or tilted away from the sun (winter). If the axis of Earth's rotation were perfectly perpendicular to the plane of Earth's orbit around the sun, known as the ecliptic, the duration of daylight in every 24-hour period would be uniform across the globe: 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. These energy flows vary throughout the year. But energy can be added to the atmosphere from the ocean and land or can flow into the ocean and land. Energy escapes by moving through the atmosphere and then to outer space. Over the course of the year, the atmosphere and ocean moves energy northward into the Arctic. ![]() ![]() One way of thinking about Arctic climate is to consider the Arctic energy budget, or the balance of energy that flows into and out of the Arctic region. However, they also interact with each other to produce weather patterns and climate feedbacks, which have effects both within the Arctic region and far beyond the Arctic. Individually the factors that affect Arctic climate are important. Just like other areas on Earth, weather and climate in the Arctic depend on a lot of variables, including latitude that affects how much energy is received from the sun, and the distribution of land and water. Exchange for Observations and Local Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA)įactors affecting Arctic weather and climate.NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center (NSIDC DAAC). ![]()
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