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- Date: Tue, 8 Aug 89 07:42:00 PDT
- From: excelan!ka.!jimg@Sun.COM (Jim Grams)
- Message-Id: <8908081442.AA13776@ka.EXCELAN.COM>
- To: fabbott@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
- Subject: Climate Info for City
-
-
- Freeland,
- As I'm in the process of moving back to Ohio, and as my
- local site has notorious out-going news problems, I thought I'd
- try and mail you this. You may post it for rec.games.frp if you
- want to. It's a basic climatic sketch for Tabolport. Hope you
- find it fits with your thinking.
-
- Jim Grams
-
- (These addresses are only good for 10 more days)
- att!sun!3comvax!excelan!jimg
- ucbvax!mtxinu!excelan!jimg
- jimg@excelan.com
-
- ---------- cut here -----------
-
- The Climate of Tabolport
-
- Before going too much farther, I'm taking a shot at describing the
- climate of Tabolport. To do so, I whipped up a quick map of the
- world, so I could place Tabolport in a reasonable way and then
- propose a general climate for it. I placed Tabolport in a way
- that agrees with Freeland's initial description which is reproduced
- below.
-
- @begin(verbatim)
- From: fabbott@athena.mit.edu (Freeland K Abbott)
- Subject: City Development
- Date: 22 Jul 89 00:15:04 GMT
-
- A map of the immediate area:
-
-
- . . . . . . . . . . . . = water
- . . . . . . . . . . . . * = CITY
- . . . . . . ^ ^ . . . ^ = rugged hills/mtns
- . . . . ^ - * ^ ^ ^ . . - = plains
- . . ^ ^ ^ - - # # # # # = forest
- . . . ^ ^ - - - - # # # @ = rolling/gentle hills
- . . @ @ @ - - - # # #
- . @ @ @ @ @ @ - - - # #
-
- Where the west and north edges of the map are basically oceans
- (independant islands west, big land mass (with other nations) a long
- ways north), the east and south continue as this country, and each
- character is oh, say a square mile. Note that in heavy rains the
- plains become a bit flooded, but that otherwise it's a great road for
- caravans.
- @end(verbatim)
-
- Let's expand this map into one showing the overall continental view
- of the Lands of Tabolport. This can then serve as a basis for
- discussion of the the climatic patterns. Obviously, there are projection
- problems with representing spherical surfaces on planes. I've chosen
- a dirt simple 72 x 36 representation, with solid ice caps on the north
- and south poles. Each Hemisphere is then a 36 x 36 area which can
- be viewed effectively on a character screen. Anyone wishing to
- improve the high latitude distortion caused be this simplification
- is welcome to try. Personally, I think this is adequate.
-
-
- Legend: '.' - water, '#' - land under 500m, '%' - land between 500 - 1000m
- '@' - land over 1000m, '&' - ice cap, ';' - water with small isles
- '*' - Tabolport (really a '#' type hex)
-
- Eastern Hemisphere
-
- @begin(verbatim)
- & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
- & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & . . & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
- . & & & # # & & & & & & . . & & & & . . . . . . . . & & & & & & & & & &
- . . . . # # # % # # # # . # # # & . . . . . . . . . . . & & & # . . . .
- . ; . . . . # % # # # # # # # % % . . . . . . . . . # . . # & . . . . .
- . . # # . # # % @ # # # # # % # # # . . . . . . . ; # . . . . . . . . .
- . # # # # . # % % @ % # # # # # # . ; . . . . . . ; . . . . . . . . . .
- . . # # # # # # % # # # % # # . . . . . . . . . . . . . # # . . . . . .
- . . ; . . . # # # # # # # # # # # ; . . . . . . . . . # # % # # . . . .
- . . . # # # # % # # # # # # # . . . . . . . . . . . . . # . # % # # . .
- . . # # # # # @ @ % # # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; . # % # # . .
- . . # # % # % @ % # . . # # # . . . ; . . . . . . . ; . . # % . # . . .
- . # # # % # # # % # . # % % # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # . . . .
- . . # # # % # # # # # # # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . # # % # # # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . . # # # . . ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; .
- . . . # # # . # # . . ; ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . # # # % # # # . . . ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # # # . . . ; . # . E
- # % # # % # # . # . . . . . . . . . ; ; . . . . # # # # . . . . ; ; # . E
- # # # # # . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; . . . . # # # . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . . . # # . . . . . . . . . . . . . * % # # # # . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . ; # . . . . . . . . . # . . . # # # % # # # # # . . # # % .
- . . . . . . . . ; . . . . . . ; . # . # # # # # % % @ % # # # # # % % #
- . . ; ; . . . . . # . . . . ; . # # # # # # # # % @ % % # # # # @ % # #
- . ; . . . # # . # # . # # # . . . # # % # # # # # % # # % # # % % # # #
- . . . . . # . # # . # % # # # . # # % # % % # # # # # # # # # # # # # .
- . . . . . . # % # # # # . . # # . . . # # # # # # % # # # # # # # % # .
- . . . . . . # # . # . . . . . . . . . . # # # # % # # # . . . # % # # .
- . . . . . . . # . . . . . . . . . . . . . # # # # # # # . . ; ; % # # .
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # # . . . . . . ; . # # . .
- . . ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; . . ; . . . # . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . & & . . . . . & . . . . . ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; . .
- . . . . & & & & & & . . . & . & . . . . . . . . . . & . . . & . . ; . .
- & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & . . . & & . & & & & & & & & . . . &
- & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & . & & & & & & & & & & & &
- & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
- @end(verbatim)
-
- Western Hemisphere
-
- @begin (verbatim)
- & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
- & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
- . . . . . . & & & & & . . . . . . . . & & & & & & & & & & . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . . & & & . . . . . . . . . . . . . . & & . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . # # # # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . # # # # # . . # # # # % # # . . . . . . . . . . . . ; . . .
- . . . # # # % # . # # . ; . . # # % % # # # . . . . . . . . . # . . . .
- . . . . . # % # # . . . . . . . . . . . # # # # . . ; . . . . . # # . .
- . . . # # % @ # . . . . . ; . . . . . . . # # . . . . . . . # # . ; . .
- . . . . . # % # # # . . ; . . # . . . . # # % # . . . ; . . ; . # . . .
- . . . . . # % @ # # . . . # # . . ; . # # % % # # . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . # # % % # # # # # # # . ; ; . . # # # . ; . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . # # # @ % # # % # # . . . . . . ; . # # . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . # % @ # # % # # # # # . . . . . . . # # . . . . . ; . . . .
- . . . . . # # % # # # % # # % # % # . . . . ; . . . . . . . . . . # # .
- . . . . . . # # # # # # # # . . # % # # . . . . . . . . ; . # . ; ; # .
- . . . ; . . . . # . # # # % # . . # . . . . . . . . . . . # . . . . . . E
- . . . . . . . . . . # # % @ % # # . . # . . . . . . . ; . . . . . . ; . E
- . . . . . . ; . # # # % # @ % % # # # % # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . . . ; . . . # # # % # # # # . . . . ; . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # # . . # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . ; . . . . ; ; . . . ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- ; . . . . . . . . . . . . # . . . . . . . # . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . . . . ; . . # # # . . . . . . . # # . # # . . . . . . ; . .
- . . . . . . . . . . . # # . . . . . . . # # % # # % # . . . . ; . . . .
- . . . . . . ; ; . . . . . . . . . . . # # # % # . # % # # . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # # . # . . # % # . # . . . . ; . .
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . # # # . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- . . . & & . . . . . . . . & . . & & & . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- & & & & & & & . . . . & & & & & & & & & . . . . . . . . & & & & & & & &
- & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
- & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
- @end(verbatim)
-
- Legend: '.' - water, '#' - land under 500m, '%' - land between 500 - 1000m
- '@' - land over 1000m, '&' - ice cap, ';' - water with small isles
-
- Scale: Each 'hex' is 200 kilometers across. This yields an equatorial
- circumference of 14,400 kilometers and an planetary diameter of
- 4583 kilometers. This is small for a planet, but appears workable.
-
- The 0 Meridian should be considered at the left side of the Eastern Hemisphere
- and at the right side of the Western Hemisphere. The Equator runs between
- the two hex rows marked with Es in the right margin. Each 'hex' is 5 degrees
- high and wide, which locates Tabolport in the 10-15 S / 115-120 E quadrant.
-
- That situates Tabolport on the Northwest edge of a large landmass, about
- 600 kilometers south of the equator. Basic temperature patterns will be
- warm. Mild winter temperatures and warm to hot summers. Rainfall will
- be significant, around 75 cm per year (about 30 inches). Temperature and
- percipitation averages are shown below:
-
- @begin(verbatim)
- Ave. Rainfall Ave. High Temp. Ave. Low Temp.
- January - February 3 cm 29 C (84 F) 20 C (68 F)
- March - April 8 cm 34 C (93 F) 25 C (77 F)
- May - June 12 cm 26 C (79 F) 18 C (64 F)
- July - August 35 cm 21 C (70 F) 14 C (57 F)
- September - October 10 cm 20 C (68 F) 8 C (46 F)
- November - December 7 cm 24 C (75 F) 16 C (61 F)
- @end(verbatim)
-
- Frosts in September and October are uncommon, but hardly rare, averaging
- two or three a year. Snow in Tabolport is very uncommon as the cool
- weather comes after the rainiest season, but perhaps once every couple
- of years the City might get a brief overnight dusting that melts off
- immediately.
-
- While wind currents in the southern hemisphere generally move east to
- west (especially in the upper latitudes) Tabolport gets on-shore winds
- from the sea from April through September. Only in the summertime,
- do the hot winds from the interior blow down the valleys from the
- south and east, drying out the area and making Tabolport somewhat
- more difficult destination for the sailing ships of the Isles.
-
- In July and August, heavy tropical storms can form in the equatorial
- regions to the northwest, and although most will be swept further up
- the coast to the north, they can make landfall in the general area
- of Tabolport. The high hills that cradle the city to the west and
- northeast serve to lessen the impact of such storms, but they can
- bring heavy rains and high winds. During such times, Tabolport can
- become an especially lively place as merchant ships that might not
- normally visit, scurry into the safe harbor ahead of the heavy weather.
-
-
- Jim Grams
-