How does the shape of the earth effect climate?

Question

this stuff is killing me it is these dumb lesson reviw thing in science **** GERMANY

Answer 1

Do you mean shape of the Earth itself or the arrangement of the continents on the surface?  For example, coupled AOGCM climate models show that if the continents are arranged arround the equator with little land mass at high latittudes the planet enters a global ice age (this is the basis for the Snowball Earth hypothesis).  There is a lot of geologic evidence that this has happened a few times in Earth's ancient history.  (It is also interesting that people theorize that the thing that brings the planet out of the global snowball is the accumulation of volcanic CO2 in the atmosphere.)  

If you mean the overall shape of the planet, the respondent who discussed insolation being nonuniform globally has it about right.

Answer 2

With the Earth being a sphere the sun doesn't hit the Earth's polls even which causes some places to be hotter or colder than others. Also the Earth is tilted and that causes the different seasons and days being shorter or longer sometimes during the year.

Answer 3

the coriolis effect is partially caused by the bulge around the equator.  The earth isnt a perfect sphere because it has been rotating since its formation.  The coriolis effect drives weather systems and determines their track usually.

Answer 4

We have no example of a planet that is not basically a sphere, and so we have little opportunity to evaluate how a cylindrical or a cubic shape would be different.

A sphere presents a shape that at least allows winds to move with little turbulence as compared for instance with a cubic shape. Now our mountain ranges are an exception to the general shape, and do cause deflection of winds, concentration of rainfall, even storage of glacial ice, all of which influence climate, as compared with having a totally smooth surface.

The shape of our sphere may have less effect on our climate than the fact that our sun is exposed by the rotation of the earth... we would have far different climate if, like the moon, our face to the sun turned only once per month, or once per year.

Answer 5

Shape of the Earth? Or TILT of the Earth?

The Earth is spherical, and is titled at an angle. This angle means that at any one time, one hemisphere is closer to The Sun than the other. If the Northern Hemisphere is closest to the Sun, then they experience summer, and the Southern Hemisphere gets winter.

Not sure if thats what the question meant - sorry if it isn't... ;)