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71 N pushed 20n would end up being 89N and in Western hemisphere.
I was laughing about the comment itself. Of course it will be south of the north pole. EVERYTHING is south of the north pole, and north of the south pole. Can't get any farther north than the north pole or any farther south than the south pole.
Svalbard (78 N) would translate over the north pole and become around 82 N. It would crash into Greenland/Ellesmere Island and have a climate similar to Alert, Nunavut.
Norway and Sweden would be from about 76 to 90 N. The northern regions would be very, very cold indeed, especially inland. Winter temps would probably be in the -30 to -20 C range and summer temps maybe -5 to 7 C. Little vegetation and probably only clear of snow in August. The southern regions of these countries would have a cold tundra climate much like Svalbard (winter temps approx. -15/-25 C and summer temps approx. 8/4 C), though a bit more continental in Sweden than in Norway. They'd be clear of snow from mid June to early September. Denmark would have a similar climate.
Finland would be a very cold continental tundra. At about 85 N, winter temps would be around -40 to -30 C, summer temps -7 to 7 C, and clear of snow - intermittently - in August. Next to no vegetation. The Baltic countries would have a similar climate. Inland Russia, near 85 N, would have winter temps from -50 to -35 C and similar summer conditions.
The United Kingdom would have a climate like a cross between Svalbard and Iceland. In Scotland and northern Ireland (~75-80 N), winters may be about -14/-18 C, and summers 7/3 C. In England, Wales, and Ireland (~70-74 N) winters may average -12/-18 C, and summers 10/5 C. There would be a snow free period from early June to late September, and plentiful tundra vegetation.
France and Germany (65-75 N) would have a tundra climate, with winter temps of perhaps -20/-30 C and summer temps of 12/2 C in Germany and northern France. In southern France, near the Mediterranean Ocean, winters would be milder (-2/-7 C) and summers maybe 13/7 C. The tree line would be in southern France, south of the Alps, and possibly far southern Germany. Switzerland would be largely glaciated due to its mountains.
Spain and Portugal would become largely like southern Norway is now, as would Italy. Oceanic and inland Dfb and Dfc climates would predominate. Greece would become a Dfb.
I drew up a map of what I think this scenario would bring. Note: Switzerland and the Alps are inaccurate, these are sea level (or non-mountainous) climate regimes.
Europe is already too northernmost for my taste. I would prefer if this thread was about making Europe 20S instead.
Malta and Sicily might be the only livable parts (or at least pleasant to me). But they will be extremely oceanic, maybe like the northeastern parts of France (Brittany).
I was laughing about the comment itself. Of course it will be south of the north pole. EVERYTHING is south of the north pole, and north of the south pole. Can't get any farther north than the north pole or any farther south than the south pole.
Lol I think what he meant was since Norway stretches to 71 N, it would stretch to 91 N in this scenario. So it would overlap the North Pole and end up at 89 N on the other side of the Pole.
Assuming that Asia would shift along with Europe in this scenario, I would imagine the climate would be 15-20 C colder than present day. Spain would likely have a climate similar to Southern Norway, and I can see Western Europe being very snowy under this scenario. The British Isles would likely have a climate similar to Svalbard, and would maybe be locked in sea ice from October to May. I imagine Eastern Europe to be frigid under this scenario, maybe with winter average temps of about -30 C? Greece would likely be similar to Estonia now. The Scandinavian countries would be extremely cold with probably an ice cap climate. Maybe winters averaging -40 to -50 C?
I wonder how Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk would be like in this scenario, with latitudes of 84 N and 87 N respectively. Maybe average winter temps of -70C or -75C?
I drew up a map of what I think this scenario would bring. Note: Switzerland and the Alps are inaccurate, these are sea level (or non-mountainous) climate regimes.
i like your map but i would have to disagree with you, especially regarding the tree line. as Mr.Sir said (he beat me to it) London/Southern England/Coast of Northern France would be more like the northern coast of Norway. though i suspect Lisbon would have warmer winters than Juneau, Alaska. (I'm thinking Thurso, Scotland for Lisbon, Portugal) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurso#Climate
i'm surprised 70°N can actually look this nice! honestly you could fool me into thinking this picture was half the Latitude 35°N. with summer highs pushing 60°F/15°C i guess its not that surprising. Some species of trees will do fine in these climates, as long as there is at least 2 months of frost-free mild weather.
so i would say around 51°N would be the cut off point for the tree line. (assuming you are in the crosshairs of the life giving Gulf Stream). this would mean London, England (51°N) and maybe Cork, Ireland (51°N) would still be able to grow some trees. (I'm not sure about Ireland, it may be too far west to effectively tap into the Gulf Stream at 71°N)
maybe you could get trees growing at 72°N or even 73°N. the line gets blurry especially when considering microclimates (inlets, bays). trees will also grow better near rivers, valleys, and cities when less exposed to the wind.
nonetheless, trees or no trees i'm sure there would be mass emigration if this scenario came to fruition! no way i'm putting up with polar night and midnight sun...
Last edited by Sir Goosenseresworthie; 03-23-2015 at 07:28 PM..
Has anyone considered that the Med and Caspian will be 20 degrees wider?
I imagine if Europe shifted 20 degrees north, Asia and Africa would too?
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