Factors controlling temperature distribution
Topic: Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 8 "Solar Radiation, Heat Balance and Temperature"
Meaning
These are the factors that decide how warm or cold a place is:
- Latitude controls the angle of the Sun's rays and the length of the day.
- Altitude matters because air gets colder with height, by about 6.5°C per 1,000 m (the normal lapse rate).
- Distance from the sea decides whether temperatures are extreme or moderate.
- Air masses (huge bodies of air with the same heat and moisture) bring warm or cold conditions with them.
- Warm or cold ocean currents heat or cool nearby coasts.
- Local aspects such as slope, relief and land cover also play a part.
Together, these explain why two places at the same latitude can have very different temperatures.
Example
Darjiling, in the hills of north Bengal at about 2,000 m, has a January temperature of about 4°C. Agra, in the plains of Uttar Pradesh at a similar latitude, has about 16°C. The difference comes from altitude.
Related concepts
- Normal lapse rate
- Adiabatic lapse rate
- Continentality
- Equable climate
- Microclimate
- Urban heat island