Why Is It Warmer in the Northern Hemisphere in July

question 49

Multiple Choice

Why is it warmer in the northern hemisphere in July than it is in December?

• A)Earth is closer to the sun in the summer than the winter.
• B)The sun's rays shine more directly on the northern hemisphere in the summer than in the winter.
• C)There are more greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere in the summer than in the winter.
• D)The sun's energy output is greater in the summer than it is in the winter.
• E)The size and shape of Earth's elliptical orbit changes from nearly circular in the summer to highly elliptical in the winter.

---

Definitions:

Basalt

A dark, fine-grained volcanic rock formed from the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of a planet or moon.

Island Arc

A series of volcanic islands shaped in a curve situated along the junction of tectonic plates, usually created over a plate being forced downward.

Hawaiian Islands

An archipelago located in the Pacific Ocean, formed by volcanic activity from a hot spot beneath the Earth’s crust.

Aleutian Islands

a chain of islands located in the Northern Pacific Ocean, forming part of the Alaska state boundary.