imported_Eniqcir
11-06-2004, 05:04
A Report of the House Naphtaeli Terraformation Commission,
Presented here to the Martian Duma and those nations with interests in the Second Planet, Cytheria.
With Venus finally becoming marginally habitable, and the Martian terraforming project running into previosuly unforeseen political difficulty, it is important that potential colonists and, in the case of Mars especially, climatological engineers and policymakers have a clear understanding of the conditions on these worlds.
Our analysis of Mars will begin with the expected patterns resulting from natural phenomena only, and will not take into account the additional energy provided to specific areas by the Guilder solette or Eniqciri weather modification infrastructure. The relevant information on their effects can be accessed through the Kaseian Office of Climatalogical Engineering.
Mars's rotation is similar to Earth's, and Mars therefore has a similar number of circulation belts. The relatively recent ocean, geologically speaking, has smoothed out much of the altitude difference between hemispheres and raised the average altitude planetwide, but differences still exist. Because of the general downward slope towards the northern hemisphere, the Northern Ferrel Cell and Southern Hadley Cell are slightly decreased in size, generating turbulence at the intertropical convergence zones. Due to the general slope downards towards the east, winds in Lunae Planum are generally mild, as the prevailing ground currents must work uphill. To the north in Tempe Terra, however, prevailing ground currents in the Ferrel Cell flow downhill, generating higher than avergae winds blowing out across Oceanus Borealis and Mare Acidalia.
Rainshadows generate notable desert regions to the west of Yggdrasil, the Tharsis volcanoes, Neriedum and Chastitas Montes, Hellespontus Montes, Elysium Mons, and the artificial Daedalian range. The latter extends across Northern Sirenum into Eastern Cimmeria.
Due to the cold, dry climate to the south, and as the Southern Watershed Project has not yet reached completion, the only potential source of water for all but the very northern edge of Noachia Terra is Mare Hellas. As most of this is blocked by the Hellespontus Montes, however, Noachia is left as a cold desert, although it has occasionally been known to snow in the southeasternmost regions.
Venus's slow rotation make it possible to model the planet as a tidelocked world with only a few minor modifications. Currently, circulation is dominated by two gigantic convection cells nearly entirely contained within the main cloud layers. Hot air rises at the equator and flows north and south to the poles where cold air sinks and flows back to the equator. These Driving Cells power two sets of Secondary Cells, one above and one below the main cloud deck, which counter-rotate, flowing low towards the poles and high back towards the equator. Near the poles, the Lower Secondary Cells and Driving Cells are replaced by a single set of Polar Vortices which also counter-rotate, generating turbulence at the Upper Secondary Cell interface. The gap between Driving Cell and Polar Vortex produces a calm region, currently occupied by the Polar Ring Cloud. The entire upper atmosphere superrotates, shearing the circulation cells into the familiar chevrons.
As the cloud cover reduced and carbon removed from the atmosphere, the planet has been undergoing constant cooling. This release of heat into space has provided a second energy to drive atmospheric circulation recently, resulting in more powerful and turbulent patterns than seen in the past. Once the planet again reaches thermal equilibrium, the winds will reduce in power. Concurrently, the Lower Secondary Cells are expected to be replaced by a single complex supercell. Warm dayside air will flow at ground level over the equatorial terminators at average speeds of approximately 26 kph. These two currents will then cool at the nightside antipode and rotate ninety degrees to carry cold air across the poles to the dayside. The effects of Maxwell Montes as a windblock are still being determined.
~Lord Naphtaeli
Presented here to the Martian Duma and those nations with interests in the Second Planet, Cytheria.
With Venus finally becoming marginally habitable, and the Martian terraforming project running into previosuly unforeseen political difficulty, it is important that potential colonists and, in the case of Mars especially, climatological engineers and policymakers have a clear understanding of the conditions on these worlds.
Our analysis of Mars will begin with the expected patterns resulting from natural phenomena only, and will not take into account the additional energy provided to specific areas by the Guilder solette or Eniqciri weather modification infrastructure. The relevant information on their effects can be accessed through the Kaseian Office of Climatalogical Engineering.
Mars's rotation is similar to Earth's, and Mars therefore has a similar number of circulation belts. The relatively recent ocean, geologically speaking, has smoothed out much of the altitude difference between hemispheres and raised the average altitude planetwide, but differences still exist. Because of the general downward slope towards the northern hemisphere, the Northern Ferrel Cell and Southern Hadley Cell are slightly decreased in size, generating turbulence at the intertropical convergence zones. Due to the general slope downards towards the east, winds in Lunae Planum are generally mild, as the prevailing ground currents must work uphill. To the north in Tempe Terra, however, prevailing ground currents in the Ferrel Cell flow downhill, generating higher than avergae winds blowing out across Oceanus Borealis and Mare Acidalia.
Rainshadows generate notable desert regions to the west of Yggdrasil, the Tharsis volcanoes, Neriedum and Chastitas Montes, Hellespontus Montes, Elysium Mons, and the artificial Daedalian range. The latter extends across Northern Sirenum into Eastern Cimmeria.
Due to the cold, dry climate to the south, and as the Southern Watershed Project has not yet reached completion, the only potential source of water for all but the very northern edge of Noachia Terra is Mare Hellas. As most of this is blocked by the Hellespontus Montes, however, Noachia is left as a cold desert, although it has occasionally been known to snow in the southeasternmost regions.
Venus's slow rotation make it possible to model the planet as a tidelocked world with only a few minor modifications. Currently, circulation is dominated by two gigantic convection cells nearly entirely contained within the main cloud layers. Hot air rises at the equator and flows north and south to the poles where cold air sinks and flows back to the equator. These Driving Cells power two sets of Secondary Cells, one above and one below the main cloud deck, which counter-rotate, flowing low towards the poles and high back towards the equator. Near the poles, the Lower Secondary Cells and Driving Cells are replaced by a single set of Polar Vortices which also counter-rotate, generating turbulence at the Upper Secondary Cell interface. The gap between Driving Cell and Polar Vortex produces a calm region, currently occupied by the Polar Ring Cloud. The entire upper atmosphere superrotates, shearing the circulation cells into the familiar chevrons.
As the cloud cover reduced and carbon removed from the atmosphere, the planet has been undergoing constant cooling. This release of heat into space has provided a second energy to drive atmospheric circulation recently, resulting in more powerful and turbulent patterns than seen in the past. Once the planet again reaches thermal equilibrium, the winds will reduce in power. Concurrently, the Lower Secondary Cells are expected to be replaced by a single complex supercell. Warm dayside air will flow at ground level over the equatorial terminators at average speeds of approximately 26 kph. These two currents will then cool at the nightside antipode and rotate ninety degrees to carry cold air across the poles to the dayside. The effects of Maxwell Montes as a windblock are still being determined.
~Lord Naphtaeli