[World-Building] A Climatic Question

[Reprisal]

Hello,

Though I did not choose to send out the One-Pager, I did end up thinking about my fledgling campaign world, and the first place I found myself starting with was the impact of climate upon my world's denizens.

So, here we go:

(1) The continent in question is situated in such a way that its most northern border with the North Sea is at about the same latitude as the border between Canada and the United States (the 49th Parallel).

(2) The mountains on this continent, instead of having a "vertical" North-South orientation, have a West-East one.

(3) The lands north of the main mountain range are simple plains and flatlands with a more diverse coastland.

Now, given the above, I assume that the winds from the North Sea would flow unimpeded all the way over the plains until they are buffeted by the moutain range separating the north from the south. As a result, the moisture from the ocean would lead to a wet climate with a lot of rain and snow on the plains.

Am I correct in this assumption?

Also, given that my first assumption is true, would the plains actually be plains? Would it be more realistic for, say, a vast evergreen forest to be there?

Strictly speaking, assume this is a question of "realism" and not whether or not I want it to be that way... (Since I want climate to dictate society and what-not.)

Uh, if I get any responses, thanks in advance!

 

[Mark]

Weather patterns have a lot to do with the amount of water on a planet and its depth and surface area. The movement of the water, via ocean currents as happen on Earth, are one of the largest factors in the weather any landmasss receives. Without knowing more about your world it doesn't seem unlikely that what you do would be realistic.

To simplify it (extremely), if you want to keep track of weather systems worldwide on your planet, keep in mind the position of the planet in relation to its star (rotation, orbit and angle of axis) and keep in mind how you've determined the water temperatures flow based on that relationship. Then bounce your weather systems around based on those factors and it'll be fair enough for believability.

Just my two cents, of course, and someone in the field could give you a much more specific set of factors to correlate, I'm sure...

 

[Mark]

Here's a good link for a basic explanation of weather system formation-

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/lessons/lesson3.html

*Edit* Actually, here's an even more comprehensive list of questions and answers about weather but remember these apply to our planet based on the factors mentioned in my first post-

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/askjack/wasystem.htm

*end edit*

 

[Hand of Evil]

I see the plains more like marsh like, the rains, the rivers from the mountians. As for trees, it could be that there would be too much water and that the winds keep things small.

I guess it would be a peat bog, or a tundra.

 

[Vaxalon]

Weather and climate are so INCREDIBLY complex, that unless you want to get very nitty-gritty and detailed in your information, you can pretty much do what you like. Tundra? Taiga? Swamp? Do what you like, it's all good.

 

[War Golem]

Hi Reprisal,

I think you are on the right track. One thing to consider is how much distance there is from the coast to the mountain range, and also how tall/steep is the mountain range. The longer the distance, the less water will make the trip that far, thus spreading the precipitation out over a greater area. A short distance, and you're looking at a lot of rainfall, thus more likely to see something like the Pacific Northwest (temperate rainforest).

The height of the mountains affects how much airborne moisture makes it over the mountains. Very hig and stepp mountains will effectively trap the water on that side; expect a lot of rainfall and strong stream runoff (perhaps into a marsh or peat bog once the land flattens out). Shorter mountains will allow the moisture over and you will see less disparity between the two sides of the range.

Keep in mind that on the side of the tall mountain range away from the airborne moisture, you often have a desert area. Not hot and sandy in your case, but very dry plains or tundra probably.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

-War Golem

 

[Randolpho]

I'll see if I can be of help. I still remember tons of the stuff I learned in my Highschool Earth Science class, 'cause I use it all the time when I design worldmaps.

(1) The continent in question is situated in such a way that its most northern border with the North Sea is at about the same latitude as the border between Canada and the United States (the 49th Parallel).

So you're saying that the continent is roughly islandic, similar to, say, australia, but with the northernmost border at around 49 degrees North latitude, right? That's what I'm assuming when I continue.

(2) The mountains on this continent, instead of having a "vertical" North-South orientation, have a West-East one.

Ok, but that's gonna play havoc with your weather systems. You need western barrier mountains to collect moisture for rainfall from your Coriolis (coming from the west) winds. Lands not shielded by mountains along the western side will have little rainfall and vegitation. Lands like:

(3) The lands north of the main mountain range are simple plains and flatlands with a more diverse coastland.

These lands will have very little moisture. The air will flow unimpeded over the land, and will likely have a lot of moisture in the air, but will drop very little of it on the ground. The lands to the north will be sparsely vegitated at best, sandy desert wastes at worst.

Now, given the above, I assume that the winds from the North Sea would flow unimpeded all the way over the plains until they are buffeted by the moutain range separating the north from the south. As a result, the moisture from the ocean would lead to a wet climate with a lot of rain and snow on the plains.

Am I correct in this assumption?

IMO, no. Your prevailing winds will be Coriolis winds, they'll be coming from the west, not from the North off the sea. There will be a little coming from the North, but not enough to go all the way down to your East/West mountain range.

Also, given that my first assumption is true, would the plains actually be plains? Would it be more realistic for, say, a vast evergreen forest to be there?

IMO, the plains would be at best like Oklahoma or Arizona, at worst like the Sahara Desert. There will be some interaction between the Coriolis winds and the windw you get off the Northern sea, perhaps enough to create a hospitable north-western coast.

For the most part, however, I suggest you take Northern Africa as your guide and modify temperature for the location.

 

[Vaxalon]

That's assuming his world even HAS coriolis winds. That's an awfully advanced concept, one that requires (among other things) a world that rotates rather than a ptolemaic system by which the stars and planets whirl around overhead.

 

[Andor]

Re: Re: [World-Building] A Climatic Question

For the most part, however, I suggest you take Northern Africa as your guide and modify temperature for the location.

Would that be North Africa now? Or North Africa as it was 2500 years ago before bad farming practices and goats got to it?

-Andor