How To Make Wind and Influence Climate

[jbgibson]

Ooooo, cool caveats, Hawksguard. Porklet, if you need things to be AS THOUGH the circumference were half that of Earth, how about if you leave it earth-sized, and make your people (and critters, and plants) twice the size? :-) I mean, that has its own problems, but at ~6ft tall humans aren't at the theoretical limit of bio structures, right? Time could be local, with twenty-four (or whatever desired) parts of whatever the rotation period needs to be.

Or hmmmm..... core has more lead than iron (pick magnetically inert heavy-ish metal), atmosphere is denser than earth's, yadda, yadda. Or it outgases nitrogen and oxy at a rate that makes up for increased loss from somewhat lower grav..... there's AlWaYs rationalizations, even if they may not be proven rational, ifyaknowwhattImean.

What have you done? Created parameters for a delightfully complex puzzle. If it gets to be a harder puzzle than you wanted, cheat. Or redefine success. :-)

[Hai-Etlik]

Or hmmmm..... core has more lead than iron (pick magnetically inert heavy-ish metal), atmosphere is denser than earth's, yadda, yadda. Or it outgases nitrogen and oxy at a rate that makes up for increased loss from somewhat lower grav..... there's AlWaYs rationalizations, even if they may not be proven rational, ifyaknowwhattImean.

Iron is the heaviest thing that there's enough of as it's the heaviest product of stellar nucleosynthesis. Heavier elements require more energetic and rarer processes to form, like supernovae and particle accelerators.

[Porklet]

Ooooo, cool caveats, Hawksguard. Porklet, if you need things to be AS THOUGH the circumference were half that of Earth, how about if you leave it earth-sized, and make your people (and critters, and plants) twice the size? :-) I mean, that has its own problems, but at ~6ft tall humans aren't at the theoretical limit of bio structures, right? Time could be local, with twenty-four (or whatever desired) parts of whatever the rotation period needs to be.

Or hmmmm..... core has more lead than iron (pick magnetically inert heavy-ish metal), atmosphere is denser than earth's, yadda, yadda. Or it outgases nitrogen and oxy at a rate that makes up for increased loss from somewhat lower grav..... there's AlWaYs rationalizations, even if they may not be proven rational, ifyaknowwhattImean.

What have you done? Created parameters for a delightfully complex puzzle. If it gets to be a harder puzzle than you wanted, cheat. Or redefine success. :-)

I'm OK with a larger earth like planet. As I was designing the land masses (even at double the distances) I had found that over the course of 2,000 years (roughly) my cultures would become a lot more intermingled than I had originally anticipated. I don't mind that, but I want a majority of it to happen in story or game. With more land there's more elbow room, and "we got ta got ta git cha some elbow room," to quote Schoolhouse Rocks.

I'm still looking over the vast amount of information you provided. Will post tonight.

One question, when the wind patterns reverse themselves from winter to summer and back again (if I am understanding this correctly) I am sure they don't just wave at each other and start running back the way they came, right? Is there a gentle transition?

[Porklet]

I am going to have to take this one step at a time. There's just too much information to digest all at once. I am starting with the wind.

Using JB's Megalaos Summer pattern (reposted below for convenience) I applied it to my conical map. My map is also a Summer Map. I had to estimate the latitudes extending out from the center, because I didn't feel like drawing curved lines for the next two days. The red line is the "solar equator" at 23 degrees (measured). Again, I didn't extend it because it would have to curve. The Horse Latitude (normal 30) and the Subpolar Low (normal 60) are at 53 degrees and "off the map". I didn't know what changes that last part would make so I just went with it.

The map is cluttered with wind arrows, and I just started plunking them down with only the basic framework of JB's pattern in mind. I wasn't sure how much effect mountains would have on the wind currents. The shifts due to mountain ranges might be exaggerated. I have not included Tradewind references, calms, or hurricane breeding grounds, yet. I have specific questions below:

1. How much do mountains affect the wind currents? Can they alter their path? Does it differ based on elevation?
2. Is there less wind effect over land? (I noticed on some of the real world wind maps circa 1901 provided by JB in his original post that there are a lot less arrows over dry land).
3. What creates a Calm or Doldrum? I have noted their positions on maps of our earth, but I can't figure exactly why they occur.

This is only a first draft, and it included all of my thoughts on the subject (thus the massive collection of arrows). I am going to clean it up, but I need to know if I'm on the right track. Once I get this completed I'll move on to the Winter Map, place Doldrums, etc. First things first, for the love of god help me!





P.S. I am a little disappointed no one got my "How To Make Friends and Influence People" reference in the thread title with a fart joke thrown in.