Climate and land mass location

[derik999]

Will the same climate rules apply if you base your fantasy world on Earth but change the location and shape of the landmasses, as well as increasing or reducing the amount of surface area covered by water? Is the atmosphere and distance from the sun a constant factor affecting the climate, regardless of how you set everything up?

[groovey]

I'm far from an expert on the matter, but I think the fast answer is yes?

I mean, lots of little things affect climate, and location is one of them in terms of latitude. Terrains also affects climate on an area, like big elevation ranges cause big deserts and so, the terrain of the surface you would flood or raise from the water could also make climate a bit different on the area.

That said, I'd like to read someone who knows better answer because to be honest, I'm so hopeless with my skills to finish my fantasy world, that I've thought a lot about using Earth as my world, but it's kind of boring to be honest, it loses part of the charm to base my world-building there.

However if I could re-arrange Earth to my liking while still being able to keep the real data appliable... I don't think it's possbile though without having to figure out everything again.

[derik999]

If it's approximate I won't worry about it. Some people obsess over realism, I just want to make it semi-believable.

[Akubra]

I think the answer to that question is that we can assume the climate rules to be the same. But they would have to be applied to your "alternative Earth". An interesting thing would be to search for climate studies of past eras (if they exist at all...). But then Earth's atmosphere hasn't always been what it is now, and that would have affected its climate a great deal, I think.

Also, like groovey says, the way you lay out your continents will affect your climate, because changing one thing has a domino effect on other things. Changing the place and shape of a continent will change the ocean currents, the direction of the winds, where rain shadows are, and what not. Let's say you move Africa or change the shape of it. One outcome might be that you have a planet without the Sahara, or at least with a completely changed Sahara... which would be very interesting!

Cheers - Akubra

[derik999]

I think the answer to that question is that we can assume the climate rules to be the same. But they would have to be applied to your "alternative Earth". An interesting thing would be to search for climate studies of past eras (if they exist at all...). But then Earth's atmosphere hasn't always been what it is now, and that would have affected its climate a great deal, I think.

Also, like groovey says, the way you lay out your continents will affect your climate, because changing one thing has a domino effect on other things. Changing the place and shape of a continent will change the ocean currents, the direction of the winds, where rain shadows are, and what not. Let's say you move Africa or change the shape of it. One outcome might be that you have a planet without the Sahara, or at least with a completely changed Sahara... which would be very interesting!

Cheers - Akubra

I appreciate the reply Akubra! Now I just have to try and not bite off more than I can chew!

[waldronate]

One thing to watch out for that we don't have here on Earth at the moment is very large continents like Pangaea. A huge landmass like that will be mostly desert in the interior, have an enormous monsoon, and be very much unlike anything we've ever seen. Storm size is also roughly proportional to the amount of warm water that a storm can pass over. A world that has one huge ocean can brew some insanely large storms. Similarly, a world that's just tiny continents could also be expected to have large storms.

So... if you keep the axial tilt (which affects seasonal variation of temperature), size, day length, planetary mass, direction of rotation, and solar inputs (i.e. "the climate rules") the same as Earth, the size and placement of the continents will have a huge impact on how rainfall and temperature play out for any particular area. Ocean currents will still move huge amounts of heat from the equator to the poles via large circulations that keep one side of continents warmer than the other, but the details will be different.

[derik999]

One thing to watch out for that we don't have here on Earth at the moment is very large continents like Pangaea. A huge landmass like that will be mostly desert in the interior, have an enormous monsoon, and be very much unlike anything we've ever seen. Storm size is also roughly proportional to the amount of warm water that a storm can pass over. A world that has one huge ocean can brew some insanely large storms. Similarly, a world that's just tiny continents could also be expected to have large storms.

So... if you keep the axial tilt (which affects seasonal variation of temperature), size, day length, planetary mass, direction of rotation, and solar inputs (i.e. "the climate rules") the same as Earth, the size and placement of the continents will have a huge impact on how rainfall and temperature play out for any particular area. Ocean currents will still move huge amounts of heat from the equator to the poles via large circulations that keep one side of continents warmer than the other, but the details will be different.

More great input! Much appreciated! I'll get my general layout of the land masses and their locations down on "paper" and post it on the site.

[Azélor]

Well, not sure it's the point of the question but no, you can't change the rules because they are based on physic and will be the same no matter where you go in the Universe. I think the specific field is fluid dynamics?

But yes, the latitude and size of the landmasses will have an impact on the climate. Moving them will make the climates different there. It's possible to guess what it would look like by extrapolation of what we already have but it's hard to guess what a super panga would trigger in term on monsoon (take Asia but make everything bigger is a starting point but can't say it's a good one)

[derik999]

Well, not sure it's the point of the question but no, you can't change the rules because they are based on physic and will be the same no matter where you go in the Universe. I think the specific field is fluid dynamics?

But yes, the latitude and size of the landmasses will have an impact on the climate. Moving them will make the climates different there. It's possible to guess what it would look like by extrapolation of what we already have but it's hard to guess what a super panga would trigger in term on monsoon (take Asia but make everything bigger is a starting point but can't say it's a good one)

Well certain cultures in the story live in areas with topographical and climate features that are similar to our world. Places like northern Africa, western and eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, northern Europe, etc. If I place them in certain areas on the world that type of climate I'm going for may end up being something else entirely, and thus won't work.