Increased temperatures within the tropics

In the past few weeks you might have noticed the temperatures have increased significantly. Here are some of the reasons for the increase in temperatures. The tropics means the area on Earth that is between the tropical of Cancer and the tropical of Capricorn.
The first reason is the effect of equinox. Equinox is a period of time when the sun is overhead at the equator. Equinox happens twice in a year, 21st of March and 23rd of September. Around these equinox times, the temperatures are high at the regions near the equator.

During the other times the tilting of the Earth's axis does not allow the sun to be overhead at the equator, leading to seasons in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

Secondly I would like to mention that as the Earth goes round the sun, its distance from the sun is not constant. Sometimes the Earth gets closer to the sun than the other times leading to a variation of the temperatures on Earth. In March and September, the Earth is closest to the sun.

Last but not least, is the issue of global warming. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide among other accumulate at the Earth's ozone layer. The sun's radiations having high energy can penetrate this layer into the Earth's atmosphere. The reflected radiations from the Earth has low energy hence can not penetrate this layer back to space leading to an accumulation of the radiations within the Earth's atmosphere. The effect is increased temperatures on Earth. The same effect happens in a greenhouse to increase to optimum temperature for photosynthesis in plants to take place.

Compiled by;

Erwin Mogusu

Mathematics and physics teacher,

ADSI, Nyamira County - Kenya