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Julaaro Julaaro
wrote...
11 years ago
If Earth?s axis were tilted less than 23.5°, which seasonal average temperature change would occur in New York State?


1.Spring and fall would be cooler.
2.Spring and fall would be warmer.
3.Winter would be cooler.
4.Summer would be cooler
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Julep1Julep1
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11 years ago
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wrote...
11 years ago
It would be 2 because it gets warmer in the spring.
wrote...
11 years ago
2.  Spring and Fall would be warmer.

The axial tilt of the earth is the major factor that causes the seasons, since certian areas of the globe get less sunlight and the areas in the other hemisphere get more sunlight.

In the US and Europe July and August are the warmest months of the year, but in Australia and South American they are the coldest months of the year.  This is due to the tilt of the earth's axis.

If the tilt were increased then it would mean a more drastic change in the season with spring and summer being warmer and fall and winter being colder.  A change in the earth's axial tilt could have been a trigger for an ice age.  The water would be cooler and so freeze easier and since ice is white it reflects more light so the ground would be cooler so a small change could create a big event.

This is one concern about global warming is that the loss of the ice cap could create a rise in temperatures as the darker earth revealed could absorb more heat.

According to Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_tilt
"In astronomy, axial tilt is the inclination angle of a planet's rotational axis in relation to its orbital plane. It is also called axial inclination or obliquity. The axial tilt is The Earth currently has an axial tilt of about 23.44° (23° 26?). The axis remains tilted in the same direction throughout a year; however, as the Earth orbits the Sun, the hemisphere (half part of earth) tilted away from the Sun will gradually become tilted towards the Sun, and vice versa. This effect is the main cause of the seasons (see effect of sun angle on climate). Whichever hemisphere is currently tilted toward the Sun experiences more hours of sunlight each day, and the sunlight at midday also strikes the ground at an angle nearer the vertical and thus delivers more energy per unit surface area.

Lower obliquity causes polar regions to receive less seasonally contrasting solar radiation, producing conditions more favorable to glaciation. Like changes in precession and eccentricity, changes in tilt influence the relative strength of the seasons, but the effects of the tilt cycle are particularly pronounced in the high latitudes where the great ice ages began. Obliquity is a major factor in glacial/interglacial fluctuations (see Milankovitch cycles).

The obliquity of the ecliptic is not a fixed quantity but changing over time in a cycle with a period of 41,000 years. It is a very slow effect known as [[(?) is critical for astronomical calculations and observations from the surface of the earth (earth-based, positional astronomy). .on the equator standing all year long looking above, the sun will be directly overhead at noon in March (Vernal Equinox), then swing north until it is ? degrees away from the zenith in June (Summer Solstice). In September (Autumnal Equinox) it will be back overhead, then at the Winter Solstice in December it will be ? degrees away from the vertical again....

The Earth's axial tilt varies between 22.1° and 24.5° (but see below), with a 42,000-year period, and at present, the tilt is decreasing. In addition to this steady decrease, there are also much smaller short term (18.6 years) variations, known as nutation."
wrote...
11 years ago
I believe all the above.
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