What Is Latitude?

What is the underlying reason that radiation intensity changes with latitude?

• Give two reasons why the solar radiation is more intense in Oklahoma City than in Whitehorse. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Latitude is 35 degrees. Angle of Incidence is 55 degrees. Radiation Intensity is 81.92% Whitehorse, Yukon: Latitude is 61 degrees. Angle of Incidence is 29 degrees. Radiation Intensity is 48.48%

• Answer:

  At shallower angle of incidence the raidation is psread more thinly and more radiation bounces off => less intense. Think of throwing a stone into water at a shallow angle... it skips across the surface. Or somone point a hose at you at a shallow angle. A steeper angle of incidence and the radiation lands more densely and less bounces off. A stone thrown steeply into the water drops straight in. A hose pointed directly at you saturates you.