Shalotha World Building

Greetings again!

Over the past 6 months I've found myself doing less actual writing, and more world building for Shalotha. As I mentioned in previous posts, the storyline that I'm working on has many of the characters spending time on the planet of Shalotha, so I've been working on creating a more realistic environment based on scientific modeling.

As you may recall, Shalotha is a world that spins faster than Earth, with a higher percentage of water. Because of the faster spinning, days are shorter (about 14 hours), which translates into more unpredictable weather (due to timing), but also less severe weather (due to the hot/cold day night cycles). Since storms only have at most 8-9 hours of sunlight to gain strength, many of the 'storms' in the model turn out to be monsoon type weather, with sporadic hail. Below is the methodology to determine realism (within the confines of the model):

I'm using WeatherMaster 1.1.3 to model the weather at specific latitude/longitude coordinates, based on a dual tidal effect from two moons, shorter days, and less land mass than Earth. The first extended model I conducted was for a 100 year period for a coastal spaceport, with coordinates Latitude 3 degrees N, Longitude 60 degrees East. This places it on the western edge of one of the larger island-continents. The weather zone for this would be similar to Tropical, although wetter, with slightly lower average temperatures.

Also, because of the 16 month Shalothan calendar (447 days for a year), the fluctuation in weather from season to season in various environments tends to be more severe as you move towards the poles. Because my first test is conducted fairly close to the equator, changes and extremes over the course of a year are not as noticeable.

Now, for the details. The spaceport location (as yet unnamed - but taking suggestions!), enjoys a moderately dry spring, which average temps in the high 70s (F). The four months of the spring season only an average of 20" of rain (or hail) total. Winds tend to range from calm to a slightly stronger breeze. Water crests at no more than 6' waves.

Summer becomes warmer, with more clear, sunny days. Average temps range from a high in the low 90s to lows in the upper 60s. Winds mostly calm.

Autumn becomes wetter, but precipitation is more in the form of mists and drizzle. A few days have periodic showers, but nothing significant. Days generally fluctuate between partly cloudy to overcast. Avg high temps drop into the lower 80s, with lows in the lower 60s on average.

Fall is the worst season for this location. This is by far, without a doubt, Monsoon season. Over the course of the 100 test years, these four months combined never saw less than 35" of rain, and had a record of 316" in one year. Storms are the strongest this time of year, although the word 'storm' is used in the sense in amount of precipitation. On average, the monsoons dump 4.2" inches of rain PER DAY, making this not only a very wet place, but also one prone to flooding. Coastal and near inland areas not only receive the brunt of the monsoon coming off the ocean, but are also flooded by the rains washing down from the hills and mountainous areas. Flood advisories/warnings were in effect for entire weeks at time during monsoon season for 80 of the years in the test model. On average the monsoon season delivered 105" of rain over the four months, with the bulk typically delivered in a three week window (variable with no pattern over the 100 years).

So what does this all mean? Well, from a storyline perspective, (and only pertaining to this one area of one continent) visitors to this area will probably want to stay away from here at least the last four months of the season. Also, travel in and out of the area will be difficult, either by atmospheric means or inbound/outbound space flights. Agriculturally this could be a valuable place for growing crops because of the amount of moisture, however farms/growth fields would need to be situation in protected areas so as not to be washed out by rain water.

A few things make it interesting from a character perspective. If you're a human used to 24.25 hour days (Earth) or the longer Martian days, how does Shalotha's shorter day cycle affect the circadian rhythms of humans? With only a little over 5 hours of daylight during the winter (which happens to be monsoon season), this location will be a miserable and difficult place to live. Constant rain, dark clouds making the short daylight hours darker, and short nighttime hours for sleeping would make for a difficult environment for a human new to the planet.

Also, with gravity substantially higher than Earth's, would the rain feel heavier on a human when it hits them? Would it induce humans to stay out of the rain, not for common sense, but because monsoon-type downpours actually hurt? It would make for some interesting challenges in writing the story in this location.

Other considerations - how populated is the area year-round? Does this become an area that is so rain-soaked during monsoon season that occupants prefer to leave the area and come back in the spring? Entire populations migrating by season to avoid weather - it's an interesting concept.

Is the region known for anything in particular? What unique plant or animal life would develop in conditions where there is over 300" of rain per year? How unique is this location to the rest of the planet? If logic follows, and the equatorial zone is the most seasonally stable, it will follow that the mid-pole and polar zones will have even more extreme fluctuations in weather. If not precipitation, then perhaps just with winds, waves (for coastal), cloudiness, and temperature ranges.

I'm planning on running several more '100 year' tests to determine weather models for various locations on the planet, including a moderate/temperate zone, sub-arctic, and arctic. My guess is that the biggest changes will be the high-to-low temperature range fluctuations between seasons, and the changes in precipitation from rain to snow in the higher latitudes. I'll post more results as I get them.

For now, if you have comments or other considerations for the locale in this post, please let me know. It's all about making this scientifically believable, so I need your thoughts on what considerations are missing.

Erik