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The energy deposited by
the Sun changes during the course of the year. The angle the Sun is above the
horizon determines how much heat and light strike each square meter of ground. There is a major difference between the summer and winter months. In the winter the Sun's energy is diluted because the Sun's ray strike the ground rather obliquely as compared to the summer months when the Sun's rays strike the ground more directly. This means that the ground receives more energy per square meter in the summer (and thus more heat) than in the winter. This also means that the seasons are mainly caused by the Earth's 23.5o tilt because more energy is received by the ground during the summer (thus high temperatures) and less energy during the winter (thus lower temperatures). Mathematical Note: The amount of energy that is deposited is given by the relationship Energy = Power/Area. |
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