Lesson 3: Rotating Through the Earth’s Seasons
January 29, 2024
Review:
- Data Visualization
- Geography as a platform for data synthesis
- Key Problem domains:
- COVID
- Monitoring Climate Change video (Ep. 4, 01:10-03:40)
- Why is climate change more difficult than COVID?
- Maps and clues
Presentation:
- Day and Night
- Earth’s daily rotation around it’s axis
- Annual Seasons (four seasons in the mid-latitudes)
- The tilt of the Earth’s axis = 23.5 degrees (toward the North Star)
- December Solstice
- Subsolar point (sun’s angle is 90 degrees) at Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 S)
- Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun (no sun N of Arctic Circle)
- March Equinox
- Subsolar point at Equator
- Equal daylight at both North and South Pole
- June Solstice
- Subsolar point at Tropic of Cancer (23.5 N)
- Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun (no sun S of Antarctic Circle)
- September Equinox
- Subsolar point at Equator
- Equal daylight at both North and South Pole
- aphelion (afar) and perihelion (pretty close)
- Seasons Video (05:38)
- What is it like to live in the Arctic Circle? Life in Svalbard, Norway (02:57)
- Four seasons in 45 seconds (0:45)
- Latitude is a key factor in determining climate. What else can impact the regional climate?
Activity:
- Play a few World Geography Quiz Games
- Which one is your favorite?
Assignment:
- Read Chapter 2
