Norwescon, 2nd panel
Apr. 21st, 2014 08:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
plutherusFriday, 2pm - World Building
This was a panel about geology, not writing. From the guide book:
Actually, a pretty fascinating panel, led by a geologist, Dr. Stephen Gillett.
One of the audience members brought up the ice-house/green-house cycle. Dr. Gillet pointed out that Earth my be "unusually dry for an earth-like planet".
Complaint was made of the tendency of science fiction to have mono-climates, (desert world, ice world, forest moon, etc.). However, it's possible that Earth is actually among the most diverse, climate-wise, of any other planet, due to its specific mixture of water and land. Other planets in the solar system have different mixtures and do tend more toward having a planet-wide climate, with much less longitudinal variation.
One of the problems with settling Mars, more so than the thin atmosphere, may be that there doesn't seem to be any potassium there. It's an essential mineral for humans, and may have to all be imported from Earth.
There is climate model software for the ancient Earth, in which you can look at it and vary the parameters. Unfortunately, I didn't get the name.
There is also an excellent video somewhere online of continental drift. Googling the name "Chris Scotese" should find it.
Earth has as much CO2 as Venus does, but most of it is locked away in limestone.
This was a panel about geology, not writing. From the guide book:
A worldbuilding panel on world-creation. Can planets only form along with stars? Are there planet types other than terrestrial and gas giants?
Actually, a pretty fascinating panel, led by a geologist, Dr. Stephen Gillett.
One of the audience members brought up the ice-house/green-house cycle. Dr. Gillet pointed out that Earth my be "unusually dry for an earth-like planet".
Complaint was made of the tendency of science fiction to have mono-climates, (desert world, ice world, forest moon, etc.). However, it's possible that Earth is actually among the most diverse, climate-wise, of any other planet, due to its specific mixture of water and land. Other planets in the solar system have different mixtures and do tend more toward having a planet-wide climate, with much less longitudinal variation.
One of the problems with settling Mars, more so than the thin atmosphere, may be that there doesn't seem to be any potassium there. It's an essential mineral for humans, and may have to all be imported from Earth.
There is climate model software for the ancient Earth, in which you can look at it and vary the parameters. Unfortunately, I didn't get the name.
There is also an excellent video somewhere online of continental drift. Googling the name "Chris Scotese" should find it.
Earth has as much CO2 as Venus does, but most of it is locked away in limestone.
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Date: 2014-04-22 04:48 pm (UTC)Dunno about getting it from asteroids, but I know there is minable Potassium on the moon, which though just as far from mars, at least has a shallower gravity well.