Climatology – Key control of climate Among the options given, which factor is the primary geographic control determining a region’s overall climate pattern (solar receipt, temperature belts, and seasonality)?

Introduction / Context:
Climate arises from long-term patterns of temperature, precipitation, and winds. Many influences matter (altitude, proximity to oceans, currents, topography), but one geographic control stands out globally: how sunlight strikes Earth according to latitude.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The choices include longitude, latitude, and temperature (an outcome of controls).
• We must identify the principal geographic control among these.
• “All of the above” would only be correct if each item were equally fundamental causes.

Concept / Approach:
Latitude determines sun angle and length of day through the year, setting broad thermal zones (tropical, temperate, polar). These, in turn, influence atmospheric circulation belts and precipitation regimes. Longitude does not by itself control solar geometry—two places at the same latitude but different longitudes receive similar annual solar patterns (ignoring land–ocean contrasts). Temperature is a climatic element, not a root cause; it results from controls such as latitude, altitude, and surface characteristics.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Relate climate to incoming solar radiation (insolation).Recognize that insolation primarily varies with latitude, not longitude.Classify temperature as an effect rather than a first-order control.Select “latitude.”

Verification / Alternative check:
Global climate maps show bands largely oriented east–west, aligned with lines of latitude: tropics near the equator, deserts near 20–30° latitude, stormy westerlies in mid-latitudes, and cold polar zones.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• longitude: governs time zones and regional placement east–west; not a solar control.
• temperature: a climatic variable, not a primary geographic control.
• All of the above: incorrect because longitude and temperature do not equally determine climate.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing cause (latitude-driven insolation) with effect (temperature). Remember: position north–south matters most for baseline climate.

Final Answer:
latitude