Wisdom of the Common Man

Solstice Heat Paradigm: “Severe double heating of the earth within +/- 10 deg latitude of the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, with double heating across the Northern and Southern Hemispheres following solstice. The effect is due to the cumulative properties of Solar Irradiance.”

Solstice Heat Paradigm affects key parts of earth’s climate system:

1) Controls strength of all ocean gyres, such as the Gulf Stream.

2) Controls volume of water vapor evaporating from the oceans.

3) Root cause of tropical cyclones.

4) Controls monsoon season in many areas, such as North American monsoon.

5) Responsible for long term gradual heating of the oceans.

As shown in figures 1 and 2, note that the Tropic of Cancer runs straight thru the middle of the Sahara Desert and the Middle East. Also note that the Tropic of Capricorn runs thru the bottom of South Africa and Australia. These are simply the easiest to recognize areas. What you see is the result of double heating.

You might ask: Why doesn’t that band of devastation circle the entire globe? The answer is: Land area, plant cover, topography, adjacent bodies of water, variations in water vapor, regional wind patterns, ocean currents and more. This is not a simple answer, but the climate on our planet is complex and chaotic, with all those factors driving earth’s climate! We know the various elements of climate, but can’t reliably predict future climate! Even current historical trends may or may not continue and have a fleeting relationship to future climate.

The marked-up screenshots of Google Earth (Figures 1 and 2) show the locations perpendicular to the sun (maximum insolation) at a given time of the year.    

                                                                                                                                  Figure 1

                                                                                                                                       Figure 2

Across the equator the sun continually moves in a latitudinal direction during the year, which creates a true tropical, equatorial climate. At the solstices June 22 and Dec.22, the sun stops moving away from the equator and reverses latitudinal direction, giving those areas double heat. Solar irradiance is cumulative, which results in July, August being the hottest months in the northern hemisphere and January, February in the southern hemisphere. Conversely, those hottest months are coldest in the opposite hemisphere.

Although the double heating is most severe at solstice lines, the entire Northern and Southern Hemispheres receive double heat, diminishing toward the poles. However, part of the solar irradiance lost to reflection is offset by slower rotation of the earth toward the poles. Remember, heating of the earth by solar irradiance is cumulative!

The sun doesn’t move, obviously. The tilt (23.4’) and orbit of the earth around the sun causes that, but the sun essentially moves from our fixed perspective on earth. Another factor is the speed of earth’s rotation: Rotational speed at the equator – 24,900 mi. circumference / 24 hrs. = 1,038 mph. At Tropic of Cancer – 22,487 mi. circumference / 24 hrs. = 937 mph. Further: 1038 mph. – 937 mph. = 101 mph. difference in rotational speed. That difference causes 9.7% more solar irradiance per unit time at solstice versus the equator, adding to the double heating effect at solstice. The same formula works for the southern hemisphere as well. Continuous movement of the sun across the equator and resulting plant life (plant life is the greatest temperature modulator on land), makes the equator’s average temperature cooler and more consistent year around. Deforestation in the tropical regions has serious consequences for regional climate!

Recognizing the dramatic effect of Solstice Heat Paradigm on earth’s climate, answers many questions.

Author: 7_Sages
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