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Thread: Hot and cold region ?

  1. #1

    Default Hot and cold region ?

    I have looked at several maps but haven't quite found what I need.

    My story will take place in a country that has a large mountain range however on one side of the range it's extremely cold and on the other side the temperature is hot similar to parts of Florida.

    I don't know enough about biospheres to realistically create this or even if it can occur with no temperature variations in between.

    I am looking for help or alternate ways to create this world.

  2. #2
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    The mountains would have to be something of an "in between zone" but... it really depends on if you want this to be an earth-like planet, or if it can be more exotic. The mountains would likely have to be east-west and you would need some extreme measures to achieve the effect in an earth-like situation, whereas on an alien planet the rotation of the world could create a daylight and dark side, with the country being on the edge of the two zones, and the mountain range blocking more sun in order to keep that side cold but habitable. A more earth like scenario would require something like, say, a great Sahara desert that is hot as hell with prevailing winds taking that heat northward to mitigate otherwise temperate climates while the heat stops at the mountain range, leaving the other side cold. Volcanic and other tectonic conditions could also lead to a warmer side, while also, a constant sun blocking cloud of volcanic ash above the cold side (with some rationale for that!) could theoretically keep one side of the mountains cold...

    Its a reach! but those are off the top of my head, LOL.
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  3. #3

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    Thank you. Now I have something to work with.

  4. #4
    Guild Member ManOfSteel's Avatar
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    Another possibility would be something like I have on my world, a mountain range that runs north/south and creates a super rain shadow. The latitude of your land would have a great influence on the climate as a whole of course, but if you positioned your country in one of the traditional desert zones (30 degrees north or south of the equator) then you could have a very warm country bisected by a massive mountain range. Depending on prevailing winds and the proximity to water, one side would receive all the rain and be lush and green and humid while the the other side would be bone dry. Since it's at a desert latitude, the lowlands would be hot, but if the average elevation were very, very high, say a plateau, it would be very cold.

  5. #5

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    Second that last one. Think about the Himalayas. On the south side, you have the north Indian plain. On the north side, Tibet. I suggest researching the geography and climate of Bhutan, which spans much of the elevation and climate difference.
    Or, somewhat less extreme, western South America. The land on the east side of the Andes is a plateau.
    I'd say the Himalayas are the best model. Wide, high mountain range; run it W-E so the plateau side can be farther from the equator. And the nearest coast, logically, on the low side. You'll have to have in-between temperature zones at lower elevations in the mountains, and colder in the peaks (which will be higher than the plateau). As in Asia or South America, the high side isn't going to be high-precipitation (though it can snow), but cold desert. I don't know about wind patterns in those areas, but from other areas, I expect you'll get strong winds *down* the mountains. Not sure what are the conditions that'll make these winds warm or cold by the time they reach the bottom; for this world, you want warm. I suggest looking more into "katabatic winds" to see if they're a help or a problem here.
    Last edited by Triplicate; 06-19-2012 at 11:53 AM.

  6. #6

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    What if the west side was much lower then the east side ?

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