Climate and Biome of /wah/


Preface

Be noted that this is merely a speculation based on what I know of natural phenomena and climate, and people from /wah/ are free to change or reject anything that is listed here, especially when supernatural causes are involved.

Geology

Based on the geologic provinces map, /wah/'s geology is divided into two major components - the mainland is part of the larger Central Holo craton, with its surface primarily consisting of its geologic platform, alongside a coast of passive margins. The island, on the other hand, is orogenic in nature, likely a result of the collisional orogeny between Major Holo plate and Minor Holo plate, with the latter subducting under the former. As such, it can be assumed that the island of /wah/ consist of uplifted, deformed continental margins. The same orogeny also comprises the northeastern edge of /wah/, along its border with /kfp/.

Climate

As shown in the climate map, the climate of /wah/ is predominantly Subtropical Monsoon climate (Cwa). As part of the Holo continent monsoon weather system, it means that while the land is generally humid all year round, the majority of rain the land receives will occur during its hotter months (at least 50% during the 6 hottest months by definition). In essence, the prevailing wind of /wah/ will be southerly (from the south) during summer, and northerly (from the north) during winter. Because of that, the summer of /wah/ will be dominated by warm, wet air blowing from the holo sea, bringing in significant amount of rainfall; the winter of /wah/ will be dominated by cool, dry air blowing from interior of holo continent, bringing in only minute amount of rain. Due to the warm temperature, snowfall will be exceedingly rare, although not impossible during abnormally cold waves in winter.

At the northeastern border, the high elevation leads to /wah/ having a small portion of the /kfp/ Subtropical Highland climate (Cwb). Here, the temperature is relatively stable between seasons, with rainfall pattern being the most notable difference.

Biome

Like most subtropical-temperate climate zones, the primary biome (barring supernatural and anthropogenic changes) of /wah/ will likely be some kind of mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest. This allows for the development of temperate broadleaf and mixed forest in the mainland, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ("tropical rainforest") in the island and the southern edge of mainland. The latter is better known for its biodiversity, although the difference can be difficult to observer by untrained eyes otherwise.

As the majority of land in /wah/ are low-lying plains, the excessive rainfall during the monsoon season can be difficult to drain entirely, resulting in the land staying waterlogged year-long. Depending on local environment, the wetlands of /wah/ will likely be a mixture of freshwater swamp forest and freshwater marshes - the most famous real life example of this is the Pripet Marshes. Alongside major rivers, the wetland can be classified as riparian wetlands as well, with the river bringing in nutrition-rich sediments that will be crucial for intensive agriculture.

It should be noted that these biomes are commonly changed by the development of civilisation. In real life, the forest that once spanned most of Western and Central Europe had been exploited by human civilisation since at least the iron age, transforming the majority of it into meadows and grazing grounds. Development of hydrology also allows for wetlands to be drained and converted into more workable lands.

Crops

The subtropical/warm temperate weather, combined with ample rainfall, means that /wah/ has a climate suitable for the growth of a variety of crops - rice, barley, and wheat as staple crops, apples, peaches and pears as additional food crops, and sugarcane, soya beans, tea, bamboo, cotton and tobacco as cash crops. Due to the high variety of crops available, an exhaustive list is impractical, and as such one should consult regions of similar climate for reference.

Mineral Resources

For /wah/ mainland, the majority of its surface rocks will be sedimentary in nature - solidified sediments accumulated from millions of erosion of the central Holo craton and mountains. In the geologic platform and passive margins, the most prominent mineral resources will likely be zinc and lead, with minor silver, copper, and iron deposits forming from sediments carried from the eroding mountains and deposited in /wah/. However, the wetland of /wah/ will be rich in peat, which has been commonly mined as fuel and fertiliser in real life. While orogens tend to be richer in minerla resources, the limited volcanism of collisional orogeny means they are not as rich as their accretionary counterpart. As such, it is unlikely to provide significant mineral deposits in copper and gold.

For non-metallic minerals, /wah/ likely has a significant deposit of limestone, sandstone, and potentially gypsum further in the mainland. On the island, Crust deformation can lead to the formation of marble, as well as traps that might form one of the few land hydrocarbon deposits, although the amount and accessibility of which remains questionable.

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Pub: 16 Aug 2022 16:17 UTC
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