What factors are most significant in describing the climate of a region?

a. latitude and longitude

b. temperature and precipitation

c. elevation and amount of greenhouse gases

d. changes in solar radiation and Milankovitch cycles

Use the latitude and longitude to also realise the distance from the region to the sun. E. g Hawaii is located close to the equator, which means the distance from Hawaii to the sun is smaller compared to New Zealand and the sun because New Zealand is much further from the equator. This is means Hawaii receives more intense sun rays, therefore experiences a very tropical climate. New Zealand on the other hand is much further from the sun so experiences less intense sun rays, and therefore has a mild climate.

Another factor to consider is the intertropical convergence zone, a belt of converging trade winds and rising air that encircles the e arth near the e quator. Variation in the location of the intertropical convergence zone drastically affects rainfall in many equatorial regions, resulting in the wet and dry seasons of the tropics rather than the cold and warm seasons of higher latitudes.