Climate help needed!

[Jeff_Wilson63]

On this map, the water currents are already marked with arrows (blue for cold water, red for hot), but I think I need to mark the wind pattersn, like in these maps:

OK. First on currents.

On a spherical rotating world ocean currents are driven by the world's rotation. The explanation for this gets rather technical, dealing with inertia and relative rotations, but the effect the easy: All else being equal, currents flow clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere. An ocean straddling the equator will have a major current at the equator heading from east to west and currents on its north and south boundaries heading from west to east.

Of course "all else being equal" is rarely the case. To accurately map currents you should begin with the largest water distance along a line of latitude. Keep in mind that once all that water starts flowing it has to go somewhere and you can map the lines of flow.

Your existing map looks pretty good. I might change some things, but currents can do some really strange things. (Particularly, that eastern flow above your western equatorial continent doesn't look right to me. I'd think the equatorial current to the west would tend to "pull" water out of that sea.)

[Jeff_Wilson63]

In dealing with wind patterns as a mapper or world creator, you first have to realize that the way meteorologists look at the world isn't helpful. Maps intended to convey information to a meteorologist need to be reinterpreted to be useful to a world creator.

As with ocean currents, air on a spherical rotating world tends to flow clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Those patterns are disrupted as water evaporates and condenses. On a world scale, evaporation encourages evaporation and condensation encourages condensation. An area of evaporation brings air in along the surface then pushes it up and out high in the atmosphere (a high pressure zone). An area of condensation pulls air in from high in the atmosphere and pulls it down and then out along the world's surface (a low pressure zone).

Now, while the flow of air high in the atmosphere holds fairly constant, the effects near the surface are subject to effects from the ground, particularly mountain ranges. (Individual mountains don't have much affect on their own.) Mountains won't block the flow of the air, but they will distort and slow it.

To place global wind / weather patterns, you first need to be sure of your ocean currents and mountains ranges. Once you are sure of those aspects, create 4 maps, one for each equinox and solstice. Start with the map representing summer in the hemisphere you make your make your home, and place your major areas of evaporation. These areas will center the winds which match the natural deosil movement of the air in that hemisphere. Having placed your major evaporation zones you can place your major condensation zones. Winds around these zones will flow widdershins (counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere, clockwise in the southern hemisphere). Repeat for your other maps in seasonal order.

I hope this (and the previous) helped. It's a very complicated subject, but I hope I supplied enough information to get you started.

[Qwynegold]

An ocean straddling the equator will have a major current at the equator heading from east to west and currents on its north and south boundaries heading from west to east.

On a map I have, it seems to be exactly the opposite in the Pacific Ocean.

I'll make some changes, at least to my currents on the northern polar sea, and then reply to the rest of the stuff...

Your existing map looks pretty good. I might change some things, but currents can do some really strange things. (Particularly, that eastern flow above your western equatorial continent doesn't look right to me. I'd think the equatorial current to the west would tend to "pull" water out of that sea.)

The two red arrows going from NE to SW that are between the two equtorial currents?

[Jeff_Wilson63]

Er, you've reversed directions. East is on your right looking at the map, west is on the left. It's even labeled that way on your map.

I have problems with directions myself, so I know how this can happen.

[Qwynegold]

Er, you've reversed directions. East is on your right looking at the map, west is on the left. It's even labeled that way on your map.

I have problems with directions myself, so I know how this can happen.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, what? Isn't it like this?:

(sorry about the crappy quality, my scanner doesn't work with this computer I'm using, so I just took a quick photo).