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In physical geography and physical geology, aspect (also known as exposure) [1] is the compass direction or azimuth that a terrain surface faces. [ 2 ] For example, a slope landform on the eastern edge of the Rockies toward the Great Plains is described as having an easterly aspect .
Twilight occurs according to the solar elevation angle θ s, which is the position of the geometric center of the Sun relative to the horizon. There are three established and widely accepted subcategories of twilight: civil twilight (nearest the horizon), nautical twilight, and astronomical twilight (farthest from the horizon).
Also euphotic zone, epipelagic zone, and sunlight zone. The uppermost layer of a body of water (e.g. a lake or ocean), defined by the maximum depth to which sunlight can penetrate the water column. The photic zone usually supports large populations of photosynthetic organisms and the majority of the aquatic life inhabiting the body as a whole.
Sunlight penetrating through a forest canopy in Germany. The existence of nearly all life on Earth is fueled by light from the Sun. Most autotrophs, such as plants, use the energy of sunlight, combined with carbon dioxide and water, to produce simple sugars—a process known as photosynthesis. These sugars are then used as building-blocks and ...
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead.This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead.
Solar radiation has a lower intensity in polar regions because the angle at which it hits the earth is not as direct as at the equator. Another effect is that sunlight has to go through more atmosphere to reach the ground. [1] The polar climate regions are characterized by a lack of warm summers but with varying winters. Every month a polar ...
Summer in this region lasts for about 2 to 3 months, and there is almost 24-hour sunlight during summer. The sun's rays are always slanting, so provide less heat per horizontal surface area. The North Frigid Zone includes the United States (only the state of Alaska ), the northern regions of Canada (the Northwest Territories , Nunavut , and ...
This diagram illustrates how sunlight is spread over a greater area in the polar regions. In addition to the density of incident light, the dissipation of light in the atmosphere is greater when it falls at a shallow angle. Figure 2 One sunbeam one mile wide shines on the ground at a 90° angle, and another at a 30° angle.