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Nain seems too cold for the non-peninsular coast. It would be about 45-50 S (Nain is 56 N) but Nain has a very cold current going by it. Somewhere like Invercargill would be more realistic, but 3 C cooler in summer and 7 C cooler in winter. Summers might be 15/8 C (59/46 F) and winters 2/-5 C (36/23 F). It would be a Cfc/Dfc borderline climate like Yakutat. Inland, say 5 degrees from the coast, would have summers of maybe 20/10 C (68/50 F) and winters -15/-25 C (5/-13 F) and would be Dfc. There may be small areas of Dfb a little closer to the coasts in lower latitude areas (<50 S).
As for population, Antarctica is huge, almost the size of Russia. 5.4 million square miles, probably 8 people per square mile average. 43.2 million, so we'll say 35-50 million.
Nain seems too cold for the non-peninsular coast. It would be about 45-50 S (Nain is 56 N) but Nain has a very cold current going by it. Somewhere like Invercargill would be more realistic, but 3 C cooler in summer and 7 C cooler in winter. Summers might be 15/8 C (59/46 F) and winters 2/-5 C (36/23 F). It would be a Cfc/Dfc borderline climate like Yakutat. Inland, say 5 degrees from the coast, would have summers of maybe 20/10 C (68/50 F) and winters -15/-25 C (5/-13 F) and would be Dfc. There may be small areas of Dfb a little closer to the coasts in lower latitude areas (<50 S).
As for population, Antarctica is huge, almost the size of Russia. 5.4 million square miles, probably 8 people per square mile average. 43.2 million, so we'll say 35-50 million.
I don't really agree. All places that are on the coast outside of the peninsula would still have the full force of the continental Antarctic winds in winter as they would flow from the high pressure of the interior out towards the coast. Since most of the interior of Antarctica would still be glaciated, these winds would be very cold and of course you still have the Antarctic circumpolar current going around the whole continent which would be slightly warmer than Antarctica's current configuration but still be very cold and full of icebergs. I don't think the continent even in this scenario could support more than a few million people. I think probably 70-80% of the interior of the continent would still be glaciated as it would still be at high elevation and a portion of the continent would still be centered over the South Pole.
Nain's climate I think would still closely approximate conditions at 50S on the coast outside of the Antarctic peninsula. Remember, that the interior of the continent would still get colder than Siberia in the winter.
Nain seems too cold for the non-peninsular coast. It would be about 45-50 S (Nain is 56 N) but Nain has a very cold current going by it. Somewhere like Invercargill would be more realistic, but 3 C cooler in summer and 7 C cooler in winter. Summers might be 15/8 C (59/46 F) and winters 2/-5 C (36/23 F). It would be a Cfc/Dfc borderline climate like Yakutat. Inland, say 5 degrees from the coast, would have summers of maybe 20/10 C (68/50 F) and winters -15/-25 C (5/-13 F) and would be Dfc. There may be small areas of Dfb a little closer to the coasts in lower latitude areas (<50 S).
As for population, Antarctica is huge, almost the size of Russia. 5.4 million square miles, probably 8 people per square mile average. 43.2 million, so we'll say 35-50 million.
What makes you think Antarctica may have such a large population, the terrain and climate would not be suited. Summers in the continent would be very cool due to the glaciated interior.
Glaciation won't go anywhere far north. It would cease to exist north of like 65*S. So it would look alot like antipodean Canada with some Greenland characteristics. I still would say that north of ~45 S = Cfb, 45 - 50 = Cfc, 50 - 55 = Dfc, 55-65 = ET. (for coastal areas). Interior would still be a harsh ice cap like now.
I've also attached a fictional 58*S McMurdo climate, seems not too bad considering they have Longyearbyen which is not that far off. Sunshine would be like 1300 at McMurdo, based on real world climates.
I don't really agree. All places that are on the coast outside of the peninsula would still have the full force of the continental Antarctic winds in winter as they would flow from the high pressure of the interior out towards the coast. Since most of the interior of Antarctica would still be glaciated, these winds would be very cold and of course you still have the Antarctic circumpolar current going around the whole continent which would be slightly warmer than Antarctica's current configuration but still be very cold and full of icebergs. I don't think the continent even in this scenario could support more than a few million people. I think probably 70-80% of the interior of the continent would still be glaciated as it would still be at high elevation and a portion of the continent would still be centered over the South Pole.
Nain's climate I think would still closely approximate conditions at 50S on the coast outside of the Antarctic peninsula. Remember, that the interior of the continent would still get colder than Siberia in the winter.
I suspect coastal Antarctica in this scenario would have trouble going much past tundra. Currently, the influence of the cold current of Antarctica extends to at least 49°S. Look a this:
Tundra. If Antarctic moved northward, the cold ocean influence would extend somewhat more. Cold winds from the ice sheet in the summer would prevent much summer warmth.
I suspect coastal Antarctica in this scenario would have trouble going much past tundra. Currently, the influence of the cold current of Antarctica extends to at least 49°S. Look a this:
Tundra. If Antarctic moved northward, the cold ocean influence would extend somewhat more. Cold winds from the ice sheet in the summer would prevent much summer warmth.
The key difference here is the Kerguelen Islands are a small landmass. If we compare the size of the Antarctic peninsula with the Kerguelen Islands, the peninsula alone is more than 1,200km (750 miles) long vs. 130km (208 miles) long for the Kerguelen Islands at their widest point. That extra thermal mass would allow the land to retain more heat and thus support warmer summers than Kerguelen. Also, in this scenario, the tip of the Antarctic peninsula at 43S would be 675km (422 miles) closer to the equator than Kerguelen Islands. The Kerguelen Islands themselves in their current configuration are only a few degrees of summer heat away from being able to support a forest (compare with Ushuaia, Argentina). So, what makes you think that the extra thermal mass of the land to create warmer summers along with the lower latitude (43S) than Kerguelen in its current configuration would not be able to have the Antarctic peninsula to support forests in this scenario?
Don't get me wrong, I think the summers would probably be some of the coldest on earth for a place at 43 latitude, but it wouldn't be tundra. It could still support forests.
I'd bet it to be wetter and cooler than your guess. Something like Buxton, due to the circumpolar current.
No, summers wouldn't be that warm. With the location 440 miles north of the Kerguelens, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, plus the cold polar air from the south, I don't think the summers would be any warmer than Reyjkavik. The new Esperanza would be able to grow a boreal forest, perhaps, but that's about it.
Last edited by Siberian High; 08-06-2013 at 03:23 PM..
Look at the current Esperanza, it doesn't get affected much (for such a latitude mean temp would be -3.4, but Esperanza is -5.3, so ocean currents and such only affect it by 1.9c because of it's isolation).
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