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Wind Pattern and Ocean Currents in This Alternate Earth



The dark browns in this map are the mountains, the light browns the resulting uplifts and the blacks the igneous provinces still visible to the naked eye with no consideration of millions of years of erosion.

The question is actually simple--what will the wind patterns and ocean currents look like on this map?

In the event any one of you asks for more detail, it's all in this link.
 

CupofJoe

Myth Weaver
That is a simple question, but not a simple answer.
You could spend a fortune in time and money making data models to try and work it out.
For a complete non expert, one thing that leapt out to me was the likelihood of Typhoons/Hurricanes forming in the Indian Ocean and running up the enlarge Arabian Sea toward Europe and along the south eastern coast of Asia towards Japan.
The greater amount of cool water at high latitudes beside North America, might push the Gulf Stream further south or kill it all together.
My guess is that the southern hemisphere's wind and water currents would be little changed; southern Africa, South America and Australia are all pretty much where and how they are now.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
I've suggested before, but I'll try again. These are science questions, not fantasy questions. The folks who deal in that currency are science fiction writers. That's where I would head; they'll be most likely to recommend useful resources and to make helpful critiques.
 

CupofJoe

Myth Weaver
Is there a rule saying that worldbuilding must be exclusively fantasy?
Of course not. You can ask a question. But if you want an answer, then you may have better luck asking people with the appropriate knowledge and skill set. I did half a module on Climate Change about twenty years ago so my knowledge is limited. And I'm guessing that there aren't too many Climatologists or Marine Environment specialists in Mythic Scribes. As for where that maybe, I don't know.
 
Is there a rule saying that worldbuilding must be exclusively fantasy?

The issue isn't so much a question of whether fantasy world building is a thing vs sci-fi world building, but whether those of us who world build fantasy worlds are likely to have the scientific background and interest to answer your question in a way that will be most helpful to you.

That said, from a fantasy p.o.v., you can make the ocean currents and wind currents whatever you like, without need to explain or justify these in your story.

Edit:

I'll add to my comment, which might have seemed flip re: the fantasy p.o.v.

Often, world building questions are asked on these forums from a preconception that anything and everything put into the story must have a rational, science-based answer; and, more than that, the answer must be molded on real world systems on Earth. Whether physics, sociology, biology, etc., the assumption is that Earth realities are the basis of all viable fantasy realities.

"What would a matriarchy look like?"
"How fast are elves?"
"Can swords be made of glass?"
"What are the ocean currents going to be like?"

From a fantasy p.o.v., these are almost nonsensical questions, because the answers can be anything you like most of the time, depending on how you present the world to your readers and whatever other corresponding factors you include for that world. If you want a glass sword, you can make it believable. Same with ocean currents. (And in a fantasy novel, I doubt most stories would require great scientific explanation of the ocean currents.)

A sci-fi writer may or may not require more science-based justification for things, depending on the sort of story he's telling. One could have odd coastal effects and climate effects arising from unusual ocean currents without explaining those currents. Another might need to more carefully present the scientific basis for those currents. Depends on the story.

This is not to say that your question is unimportant, but only that looking for answers on a fantasy forum....might lead to at least this type of response that I've given, heh.
 
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Mythopoet

Auror
I did a google search for "wind pattern and ocean currents" (literally just highlighted your title and clicked google search) and it came up with what look like some handy resources right away. You're not going to find someone who can just predict what your wind patterns and ocean currents are in a specific altered Earth. These are technical questions and you'll probably need to educate yourself about how wind and ocean currents work and then figure it out for yourself. The internet is your goldmine.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
By way of further illustration, if I were to go to a romance forum, or even a science fiction forum, and ask whether dwarves would fight a war as individuals or as family units, I would expect to be redirected to a fantasy forum. It's not about rules, it's about likelihood of a useful answer.

Also, to follow with Mythopoet, I have a general rule in discussions. First, I try to find the answer on my own. I do my own research first. I find it allows me to craft better questions.
 
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