Question

activity 8. southern seasons
question: what are seasons like in the southern hemisphere?

1. form hypothesis: look at how the sun rays hit the person in the southern hemisphere on june 21 and december 21. which date do you think is warmer? why?
2. collect data: select the earth tab. fill in the information for the latitude 40° s on june 21 and december 21. (to measure the sun - ray angle, select show protractor. the angle will be between 0 and 90 degrees.)

date	rays on panel	temp. (°c)	daylight hours	sun ray angle
june 21
december 21

1. analyze: what is the first day of winter in the southern hemisphere?

what is the first day of summer in the southern hemisphere?

1. draw conclusions: how are seasons in the southern hemisphere related to seasons in the northern hemisphere?
2. extend: on the space tab, drag the axis to 0° (straight up and down). how does this affect seasons on the earth tab?
3. apply: what would seasons be like if earths axis were tilted more than 23.5°?

use the gizmo to test your prediction. were you correct?

Explanation:

1. In the southern hemisphere, on December 21 the Sun is more directly overhead (higher Sun - ray angle), leading to more rays on the panel, longer daylight hours, and warmer temperatures compared to June 21. This is because December 21 is the summer - solstice in the southern hemisphere and June 21 is the winter - solstice.
2. The first day of winter in the southern hemisphere is June 21 (or around this date, the winter - solstice), and the first day of summer is December 21 (the summer - solstice).
3. Seasons in the southern hemisphere are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere. When it is summer in the southern hemisphere, it is winter in the northern hemisphere and vice - versa.
4. If the Earth's axis is at 0° tilt, there would be no significant seasonal changes as the Sun's rays would hit the Earth's surface more evenly throughout the year.
5. If the Earth's axis were tilted more than 23.5°, the differences between seasons would be more extreme. Winters would be colder and summers would be hotter, with more variation in daylight hours between the solstices and equinoxes.

Answer:

1. December 21 is warmer in the southern hemisphere as the Sun is more directly overhead, resulting in more intense sunlight, longer daylight hours, and higher temperatures.
2. First day of winter: June 21. First day of summer: December 21.
3. Seasons in the southern hemisphere are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere.
4. No significant seasonal changes as the Sun's rays would be more evenly distributed.
5. More extreme seasons with colder winters and hotter summers and greater variation in daylight hours.