Global heat budgetTropical and polar latitudes

Tropical

• The Sun's rays are more concentrated, as the midday Sun is high in the sky throughout the year.
• The Sun's rays have less atmosphere to pass through, so less energy is lost through absorption and reflection by the atmosphere.
• In tropical rainforest areas, dense vegetation absorbs radiation giving a low relative albedo effect.
• The Sun is directly overhead in the equatorial and tropical regions throughout the year.

Polar

• The Sun's angle is much lower, so the rays of energy are spread out over a much larger area and are therefore less intense.
• Because of the Earth's curvature, the rays must travel further through the atmosphere, with more chance of being reflected.
• In polar regions, snow and ice cover reflect much more of the solar radiation, giving a high albedo effect.
• For six months the Poles receive no solar energy due to the Earth’s orbit and tilt.