5
$\begingroup$

I'm working on piecing together a game that involve sea trading, loosely based on historical conditions. As a part of making the game, I'm creating a map. From that map, I'm trying to determine what the temperature is, at least on average, for a number of reasons. I'm also going to include a seasonal model to it. What I'm trying to do is to find a first order estimate of the average temperature by day and by latitude, at sea level. I know that this varies tremendously based on a number of factors, but it seems to me that assuming equal distance to the sun, a perfectly spherical Earth with a known axial tilt, and some other reasonable assumptions, there should be a model that will work, which I can add to some noise to cover some of the other sources of error.

Bottom line, is there a relatively simple model of latitude and time of year vs average temperature at sea level? Bonus points if it includes a difference by altitude. Thanks!

$\endgroup$
3

1 Answer 1

5
$\begingroup$

Simple? Depends upon the level of accuracy you are looking for. Insolation alone is a rough indicator of sea surface temperatures.
enter image description here image from http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/ocean/sst/contour/

In more detail SSTs around the globe are significantly influenced by oceanic currents which, in turn, are very strongly influenced by the distribution of continents.

$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ This will be good enough for my purposes. I only want to make something that looks somewhat realistic, not a high fidelity model. After all, the game is about sea trading, not weather. Thanks! $\endgroup$ Jun 23, 2016 at 11:53

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.