Question

Compare the global distribution of temperature in January over the northern and the southern hemisphere of the earth.

Answer 1

In January, there is summer in the southern hemisphere and winter in the northern hemisphere. The main reason behind it is that the sun has a northern face and sunrays fall vertical in the northern hemisphere. The areas which are closer to the equator have temperature up to 27° C and over the land, the temperature decreases sharply and the isotherms bend towards the south in Europe. It is much pronounced in the Siberian plain. The mean January temperature along 60° E longitude is minus 20° C both at 80° N and 50° N latitudes. The mean monthly temperature for January is over 27° C, in equatorial oceans over 24° C in the tropics and 2° C – 0° C in the middle latitudes and -18° C to -48° C in the Eurasian continental interior.