A sea-level town near the equator is warmer year-round than a sea-level town near 60° N. What control best explains the difference?

In the tropics, the midday Sun can be nearly overhead, while near the poles it stays low in the sky. Why does that make the tropics warmer?

A flashlight beam straight down makes a small bright circle; tilted, it spreads out. Which climate pattern works the same way on Earth?

Cuba is generally warmer than northern Canada even when both places are near sea level. What is the main reason?

On the June solstice, the midday Sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer. At about what latitude is that line?

At the equator, days last about 12 hours all year. At 55° N, summer days are very long and winter days are short. What does this do to the seasonal temperature range at 55° N?

North of which line does the Sun stay below the horizon for at least one full day around the December solstice?

Two towns are both on the equator; one is on the coast and one sits high in the Andes. Why is the mountain town cooler?

Four cities lie at about the same latitude. Which one is most likely the coolest year-round?

Snow can remain near the top of a tall tropical mountain while nearby plains are warm. Why?

Air temperature drops about 3.5°F for every 1,000 feet of climb. A sea-level station at 20° N averages 80°F. About what would a nearby station at 8,000 feet average?

Mexico City is much cooler than many lowland places at similar latitude because it sits on a high plateau. Which climate control is this?

On a mountain drive at the same latitude, vegetation changes from broadleaf forest to alpine tundra. What climate change causes that pattern?

Bogotá and Quito sit more than 8,000 feet above sea level near the equator. What climate advantage do these highland cities have over nearby tropical lowlands?

A cold current flows along a west coast, chilling air so it sinks instead of rising. What is the likely effect on coastal rainfall?

Western Europe is milder in winter than places at the same latitude in eastern Canada. Which mechanism helps explain this?

The Benguela Current carries cold water along southwest Africa. How does that affect Namibia's coast?

A cold offshore current runs beside a coastal desert. Why can fog form while rain stays scarce?

A warm current flows along an east coast at midlatitudes. What climate effect is most likely along that coast?

During El Niño, the cold upwelling off Peru weakens and warmer water reaches the coast. What often happens on the normally dry coast of Peru?

The Kuroshio Current moves warm water past Japan. What does this current add to nearby coastal climate?

Two west coasts are at similar latitude; one has a cold current offshore and is much drier. What control explains the dryness?

Two cities share a latitude; one is on the coast and one is 700 miles inland. The inland city has hotter summers and colder winters. Why?

An island city has a small annual temperature range, while an inland city at the same latitude has a large range. Which control is at work?

Why do oceans moderate the climate of nearby coastal places?

Water must absorb much more heat than land to warm up by the same amount. What is this property of water called?

At 45° N, a west-coast city has mild winters, but an east-coast city on the same continent at the same latitude has much colder winters. What helps explain this?

A desert interior far from the sea has very hot afternoons and cold winter nights. Which climate control helps produce these extremes?

Two places get the same sunlight angle, but one is surrounded by ocean and the other lies deep inside a continent. Which place has the larger seasonal temperature range?

Why does distance from the sea often make an interior location's climate more extreme?