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Asked by lugia to Angus, Christian, Hannah, Laura, Simon on 20 Jun 2013.
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Hannah Bentham answered on 20 Jun 2013:
England has latitudes ~50deg and at higher latitudes, as you go away from the equator , the intensity and duration of sun exposure decreases == cooler environments.
But England is actually quite mild in the winter than it should be the latitude. This is due to the Gulf Stream (the current from the Atlantic approaching SW Britain) bringing warmer ocean water from the Tropics.
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Angus Ferraro answered on 20 Jun 2013:
As Hannah says, England is actually warmer than we might expect. Places in Canada which are similarly far from the Equator (so the Sun is weak) are much colder.
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Simon Holyoake answered on 20 Jun 2013:
Agree with Hannah and Angus, England and the rest of the UK should be colder than they actually are, more in line with canada and russia, but the gulf stream helps to keep our climate mild 🙂
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Laura Roberts Artal answered on 20 Jun 2013:
I agree with the other scientist. I also think that the Gulf Stream is the reason the UK is quite wet. Our super wet summer last year and the fact that it was colder than it should have been is because the Gulf Stream shifted from its usual position.
For the UK to get mild to warmish summers, the Gulf Stream has to flow to the North of Scotland. Last year it changed its course and flowed across the north of France, leaving the UK with lower temperatures than expected but also very wet weather.
Fingers crossed for a better summer this year :)! -
Christian Maerz answered on 20 Jun 2013:
I guess England seems especially cold in summer, or at least not really warm. On the other hand, the winters tend to be quite rainy but mild. That’s what you call a temperate climate. I also think it tends to feel pretty cold because so many places in England are close to the sea, so there is always wind that makes it feel colder than it actually is…
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