Since South America is closer to the sun during its summer, does it have a warmer summer than the USA?
Because the Earth’s orbit around the sun isn’t uniform, the Southern Hemisphere is indeed, closer to the sun during its summer: 91.5 million miles vs. 94.5 million miles, which is about 3 million miles closer. As a result, the Southern Hemisphere, which includes most of South America, receives about 5% more energy from the sun during its summer. However, it isn’t true that they have a warmer summer than the Northern Hemisphere, which includes the USA. The Southern Hemisphere contains much less land mass and much more ocean than the Northern Hemisphere. Water takes longer to warm and cool than land since it has a higher heat capacity. Therefore, temperatures are unable to warm up as quickly during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer as they are in the Northern Hemisphere. Because the Southern Hemisphere is dominated by oceans, maritime air masses — moist air originating over water — control the region’s weather, keeping temperatures cooler during the summer and milder during the winter.
