The Weather of Middle Earth...
6 Dec 2013 10:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
curiouswombatI thought some of my friends might find this article in The Guardian interesting.
A Bristol University expert on past climate change has traced some of Tolkien's detailed maps, and then effectively "scanned" that into the university's computer to determine the weather patterns of Middle Earth.
He has come up with a number of interesting observations - for example
• Much of Middle Earth would have been covered in dense forest if the landscape had not been altered by dragons, orcs, wizards etc.
And that the climate around Mount Doom is very like that of Los Angeles...
A Bristol University expert on past climate change has traced some of Tolkien's detailed maps, and then effectively "scanned" that into the university's computer to determine the weather patterns of Middle Earth.
He has come up with a number of interesting observations - for example
• Much of Middle Earth would have been covered in dense forest if the landscape had not been altered by dragons, orcs, wizards etc.
And that the climate around Mount Doom is very like that of Los Angeles...
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Date: 06/12/2013 10:39 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 06/12/2013 11:47 pm (UTC)I liked the consideration into why the Elves sailed from The Grey Havens especially.
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Date: 07/12/2013 12:10 am (UTC)And even though you probably know all about this, I thought I'd share this link with you anyway:
Herd of rare cattle 'move to Isle of Man Jurassic Park'
http://www.bbc.co.uk /news/ world-europe-isle-of-man-25018473
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Date: 07/12/2013 11:23 am (UTC)The description made me giggle - the local newspaper said 'Noah's ark' which was a slightly better comparison.
Those particular cattle aren't the only ones - there are three or four other rare breeds also kept here as a sort of back-up, too. To be hoped we don't sink some day!
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Date: 07/12/2013 12:33 am (UTC)*grins* What a fun project to know about.
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Date: 07/12/2013 11:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 07/12/2013 01:15 am (UTC)Tolkien did base the Shire on rural England, or an idealized version of it.
Total off topic but who paid for the Gray Ships? From what you read, the Elves just hopped on a ship and were taken to the Blessed Land!
Huggs,
Lynda
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Date: 07/12/2013 11:33 am (UTC)It is the idea of it being Lincolnshire that is interesting to some people - the assumption is that Tolkien was thinking of Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire. Visually I'm sure he was, not Lincolnshire - so now we have to think of those counties with the weather of Lincolnshire. Hopefully without the flooding!
I have wondered, too, about the cost of the Grey ships - the wood they doubtless simply cultivated, but the shipbuilders, presumably, were paid to be able to provide for themselves and their families. Perhaps the usual passengers each paid a fare?
In one of my drabbles they left their horses, if they had them - and maybe poorer elves would give some token or another?
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Date: 07/12/2013 02:47 am (UTC)Thanks kindly for this post, it is a fascinating idea to scan in fictional geography to find out what the weather patterns and climate would be like. It makes me wonder if there has been a meteorology student who has used Middle Earth as the basis for a thesis, considering how many people have used various aspects of Tolkien's legendarium for such purposes.
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Date: 07/12/2013 03:12 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 07/12/2013 11:41 am (UTC)The whole idea is really interesting, isn't it?
Now I want full scale weather maps of annual temperature, rainfall, hours of sunshine, prevailing wind direction and speed - and so on!
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Date: 07/12/2013 10:52 am (UTC)Fun article. Thanks for the link :)
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Date: 07/12/2013 11:45 am (UTC)I reckon The Shire would be less troubled by tide surge, though!
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Date: 07/12/2013 03:04 pm (UTC)... has the author not heard of Mirkwood and Fangorn? Even in the Third Age it, erm, quite substantially still is...
... and he clearly hasn't read his Silmarillion, or he could instead have pointed out that his climate models are confirmed by the canon evidence from Beleriand.
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Date: 07/12/2013 11:13 pm (UTC)Personally I now want full weather maps of annual temperature, rainfall, hours of sunshine, prevailing wind direction and speed for the whole place, in different ages allowing for, or possibly explaining meteorologically, changes in sea levels and so on...
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Date: 07/12/2013 03:37 pm (UTC)I was checking out what a bunch of Rooks was as we saw a very large group of them the other day out at the mall, I know crows are a murder but found out rooks are a parliament!
One must, of course, never count Creban!
Huggs,
Lynda
Re: off Topic
Date: 07/12/2013 11:14 pm (UTC)Re: off Topic
Date: 08/12/2013 11:03 pm (UTC)Re: off Topic
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Date: 08/12/2013 01:29 am (UTC)- Erulisse (one L)
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Date: 08/12/2013 12:00 pm (UTC)No kidding.