Why does the amount of energy recieved from the sun varies during the year?

Answer 1

the earths distance from sun varies along with its speed at certain points. Hence the seasons. Think the of the sun as stationary...the earth spins, tilts, and orbits the sun in an elliptical pattern, basically an oval

Answer 2

The earth's orbit isn't a perfect circle, its an ellipse (a very slightly squashed circle). And the sun isn't at the centre of earth's orbit, its off to the side just a little. Plus the axis of the earth is tilted about 23 degrees from completely upright.

All this added together means the earth receives different amount of sunlight depending on its location in the orbit and which hemisphere is tilted toward the sun.

Answer 3

--This is a part explanation, that is not the norm:

*** g05 2/22 p. 29 Watching the World ***

Earth Is Getting Darker

“Scientists have found that less sunlight has been reaching the earth’s surface in recent decades,” notes Scientific American. “The sun isn’t going dark; rather clouds, air pollution and aerosols are getting in the way.” From the late 1950’s to the early 1990’s, hundreds of instruments have recorded a decline of up to 10 percent in the amount of sunshine that reached the earth. The drop was even greater in Asia, Europe, and the United States. Hong Kong, for example, has experienced a 37 percent decrease in sunlight. The scientists agree that the matter is still not fully understood."

Answer 4

The Earth's axis is tilted at 23 degrees, so as the Earth revolves around the sun, different parts of the Earth get different amounts of sunlight. Take a golf ball and tie it to a string, then tilt it by about 25 degrees or so. Then, move it around a shining light bulb. You will see how it works. On one side, the bottom part of the golf ball is getting more light than the top side, and when you move it to the other side, the top portion is getting more. This is the same principle.

Answer 5

The tilt of the earth cycles throughout the year, so the angle that the sunlight is hitting a given area of the earth changes as the tilt changes. During Spring (in the north) the north is tilted towards the sun more and vice versa during the winter.

Answer 6

The Earth tilts on it's axis, like a top that's about to fall.

This causes the sun to move higher or lower in the sky and causes the direct heat to change position on the Earth from Northern in the summer (June) to Equator in the spring and fall and Southern in the winter (december).

Answer 7

The earth circles the sun in an erratic eccentric orbit. In the summertime, earth is closer to the sun. In the winter, we are farther away from the sun. It's a very thin line we run from being too close or too far to support life.
And NO, global warming has nothing to do with anything on earth when reality is considered.

Answer 8

The cause of seasonal changes in weather is directly tied to the angle of the sun and latitude, as well as to the astronomical phenomenon of the Earth's orbit around the sun. The Earth is tilted on its axis, 23.5 degrees away from perpendicular, meaning that as the earth orbits around the Sun over the course of a single year, the angle of the Sun's rays changes at any given point. If, for example, the Earth's axis were perfectly perpendicular to the path of the Sun's rays, the Sun's angle would always be 90 degrees at the equator, therefore, there would be no seasons.

Summer in the Northern Hemisphere occurs when the Earth's position in its orbit tilts the North Pole toward the Sun. This means that northern latitudes receive the Sun's rays at more direct angles than the southern latitudes (the Northern Hemisphere summer coincides with the Southern Hemisphere winter). At every latitude on earth, even at the Equator, the average amount of energy received from the Sun changes during the course of the year. These changes in angle toward the sun and the resulting solar energy produce the changes in seasons.

The scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting is called meteorology. Meteorologists are able to predict the weather a week into the future with a significant degree of accuracy. Yet, it is considerably more challenging to make accurate predictions further into the future, such as for the next few months or for the next year.

Oddly, it is the anomalies in global climate that allow weather experts to make slightly more exact seasonal predictions. The phenomenon known as El Niño (and the related La Niña phenomenon) is a departure from normal ocean conditions, but conditions such as these give scientists the best foundation for making seasonal predictions. For example, in strong El Niño years, the southern half of the United States tends to experience higher-than-average rainfall. El Niño makes weather prediction easier because seasonal climate is influenced by the global distribution of heat in the oceans. During El Niño years, the South Pacific off the coast of Peru experiences a measurable buildup of heat because the ocean current that usually distributes heat more broadly between South America and South Asia stalls.

Although the jet stream pattern varies from month to month, the location of the trough or dip in the jet stream helps to determine winter weather patterns. The position of the jet stream is in turn affected by several ocean-atmosphere patterns. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a twenty- to thirty-year climate cycle similar to El Niño. It was named in 1996 by fisheries scientist Stephen Hare who identified it while researching connections between populations of Atlantic salmon and the climate in the Pacific Ocean. The PDO has been studied far less than the El Niño/La Niña phenomenon, but it also has significant impacts on weather and climate. A second, even longer climate cycle lasting about 70 years has also been discovered. In addition to ocean variability, solar variability, such as the 11-year sunspot cycle, affects climate, although the connections are not completely understood. All of these phenomena require further study before scientists can model their climate pattern effects both in the U.S. and across the globe.

It is no small matter to have accurate seasonal forecasts, especially for those in less developed countries who are more vulnerable to weather surprises. The ability to predict an unusually dry growing season, for example, can provide crucial knowledge about the need to save water and ration food. Seasonal weather forecasts can also have powerful effects on commodities markets and on the allocation of scarce resources to help ward off shortages. For example, a prediction of cold temperatures or winter weather could increase commodity prices for natural gas and other fuels. Municipal governments would also need to know how much money to budget for snow removal. Both long-term and short-term predictions of weather can provide much needed critical information.

There are a number of research projects underway in which scientists are trying to gain a better understanding of the complex interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere that affect climate and weather. Many elements of these interactions are not yet understood. As more is learned, meteorologists will be able to refine their predictions for long-term seasonal weather trends.

Answer 9

Not the distance guys, not the circle or the ellipse, but the ANGLE, the angle, the angle

Answer 10

yes and no, yes dependingon where u are standing....no the sun doesnt care what time of the year it is