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Changing geography, consequent environmental changes and misc.

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MadassAlex I am vexed! from the Middle Ages. Since: Jan, 2001
I am vexed!
#1: Apr 16th 2011 at 8:05:00 AM

I've got an After the End setting going on where the polar ice caps have melted, turning much of our planet into a sea world. Kind of like that Waterworld movie, but hopefully not lame.

I've also got a few questions for the sake of general realism before I dive off the deep end in terms of Rule of Cool:

  • After the rising of sea levels, many mountainous areas should still be habitable, correct? Most landmarks that could truly be considered 'mountains' should escape the rising sea levels, unless I'm mistaken.
  • So, if mountainous areas become the final refuges for land-based life and are curt by sea, then it follows that most of them would be quite lush and plentiful given that almost all human-habitable areas would more or less count as coastal. Yes? No? 'Big fucking assumption, Alex'?
  • Given that water is so plentiful, it makes sense to use it as a primary form of power generation. When it comes to seaborne craft, would it be practical to have them as self-sufficient when it comes to power given that they ride upon their power source?

Swordsman TroperReclaiming The BladeWatch
Yej (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: They can't hide forever. We've got satellites.
#2: Apr 16th 2011 at 8:07:37 AM

Re #3: Maybe? When you say 'power source', do you mean using tidal generators, or nuclear reactors? (Though you probably mean the former, since it's After the End.)

edited 16th Apr '11 8:08:18 AM by Yej

blueharp Since: Dec, 1969
#3: Apr 16th 2011 at 8:09:48 AM

Water as what kind of power source? Note how Water is used as a power source today, it's the movement, not combustion of it.

And you may want to look into weather patterns and rain shadows, it's not a given that all areas would be moist.

Also, you may want to look into actual calculations of how much the sea levels would rise with complete melting of the ice caps.

edited 16th Apr '11 8:10:25 AM by blueharp

MadassAlex I am vexed! from the Middle Ages. Since: Jan, 2001
I am vexed!
#4: Apr 16th 2011 at 8:29:13 AM

The setting contends that a whole lot of knowledge and learning has been lost in various cataclysms, meaning that combustion is the only option.

And yeah, I did some research. Not much on what would be moist or not, but the alteration of geography is significant enough for my purposes.

Swordsman TroperReclaiming The BladeWatch
blueharp Since: Dec, 1969
#5: Apr 16th 2011 at 8:36:07 AM

Um...are you saying people are burning water like they would gasoline???

MadassAlex I am vexed! from the Middle Ages. Since: Jan, 2001
blueharp Since: Dec, 1969
#7: Apr 16th 2011 at 8:56:02 AM

In Steam Punk, they typically burn something else, like oil, coal, or wood, to make a fire in order to create steam.

Obviously their efficiency is unreasonable, but they aren't using the water as a power source, just as a method to drive gears.

MadassAlex I am vexed! from the Middle Ages. Since: Jan, 2001
I am vexed!
#8: Apr 16th 2011 at 9:01:11 AM

If it's driving the gears, it's a source of energy — ergo power. Even if it requires an intermediate stage of heat generation first.

But that's semantics and beside the point. I'm basically asking if, say, a steam-powered ship would be reasonably maintainable or useful.

To clarify, I never considered combusting water to create energy; I parsed something from an early post as "heat water to drive machinery".

edited 16th Apr '11 9:02:52 AM by MadassAlex

Swordsman TroperReclaiming The BladeWatch
blueharp Since: Dec, 1969
#9: Apr 16th 2011 at 9:11:32 AM

The real problem is what are you using to heat the water so it boils. That is not intermediate, it's primary. In history, setting up places to keep coal and oil was a major part of the ocean trade.

MadassAlex I am vexed! from the Middle Ages. Since: Jan, 2001
I am vexed!
#10: Apr 16th 2011 at 9:14:57 AM

This is going into missing the point territory.

I'm going after enough realism for it to be more or less acceptable, but this will end up as Speculative Fiction that dives into Rule of Cool when convenient — absolute accuracy is not necessary.

Swordsman TroperReclaiming The BladeWatch
blueharp Since: Dec, 1969
#11: Apr 16th 2011 at 9:25:21 AM

I'm just trying to help you avoid diving into the shallow end of the pool. You can handwave the performance of burning coal or oil, you can even come up with some easy nuclear boilers if you want, or even solar concentrators, but it's going to be something that will look bad if you don't think about it.

KnightofLsama Since: Sep, 2010
#12: Apr 16th 2011 at 3:34:08 PM

Yes, you are Completely Missing The Point and you're the one playing semantic games. In a steam engine the steam is not the energy source, it's a mechanical intermediary carrying the energy from its source (the burning fuel) to where it can do useful work (the pistons). So no way in hell are they going to be self-sufficient as per your original question. They're still going to need a fuel source.

Also sea water it a terrible thing to use in a boiler. Salt water is corrosive and heat only encourages it's corrosive property. It's also full of organic particulates like plankton and they're going to harden and clog valves and vents, as are various salts that are going to precipitate out as the water goes to steam.

So, if mountainous areas become the final refuges for land-based life and are curt by sea, then it follows that most of them would be quite lush and plentiful given that almost all human-habitable areas would more or less count as coastal. Yes? No? 'Big fucking assumption, Alex'?

1) It's 'girt' by sea. not 'curt' by sea

2) And it's a pretty big assumption. Part of the reasons that the plains are more fertile than the mountains is that erosion washes most of the nutrients down on to the plains, leaving less fertile soils up in the mountains and rising sea levels aren't going to change that right away.

edited 17th Apr '11 3:23:06 PM by KnightofLsama

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