Quote:
Originally Posted by Architype
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This map clearly highlights the remarkable climatic difference between the two coasts of North America: indeed, while along the eastern Atlantic side the 120-day winter limit is found around 41° North latitude (central coasts of Connecticut), on the western Pacific side, to find the same limit (120 days), one must move 10 degrees further north, up to 51° North latitude (central coasts of British Columbia).
This is clear evidence of how strongly large bodies of water to the west of continents mitigate temperatures.
The same dynamic occurs in Europe, where the Atlantic Ocean lies to the west: for example, along the Atlantic regions of the Old Continent located above 50° North latitude (such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, and Norway), the winter climate is much milder than that of the Atlantic coasts of a state like New York, situated at 40° North latitude.
In New York City, at 40° North, winters are much colder and snowier than in a city like Bergen (Norway), which lies on the coast at 60° North—and even in a location much more sheltered from the open ocean (since many islands shield it from the direct winds of the Atlantic Ocean)—yet experiences milder winters than the Big Apple. :bleah:
In theory, only the shutdown of the Atlantic Current could change all of this... perhaps.
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