Hi again
Here's a simplified model for an Earth-like planetary climate system based on real climatological models. It would involve dividing the globe into slices along latitude, probably slightly randomising the precise locations, though keeping the relationships between them correct, so for example, moving all the zones to a higher latitude and spreading them further apart for a warmer planet. The model would provide average wind direction and speed for different altitudes, significant for flight sims and well as providing probabilities for variable or extreme weather events. Factors relating to terrain are not taken into account but could be added, especially as wind direction would give a vital clue for handling that. Likewise continental interiors would tend to be dryer, especially on the leeward side e.g. west coast of usa and this model would support that.
Cloud types would depend on the zone in which they are found. Equatorial clouds would tend to be Cumulus or cumulo-nimbus with a lot of high clouds. The tropics i.e. desert zones would tend to have only a few high clouds, and the polar front weather systems would tend to have stratus and stratocumulus clouds with high clouds on the leading edge. Polar regions would be the same as desert. The chances of precipitation could then be based on the overlying cloud type. The zones would mostly merge into each other, perhaps the probabilities of any given weather type gradually changing as latitude changes. The exception would be at the polar front where in reality it's a series of waves traveling around the globe with the weather systems i.e. clouds / rain etc on their leading edge and clearer, cooler weather on their trailing edge. I don't know how hard it would be to model that, but it could be simulated by placing the randomly sized circles around the globe, centered on the temperate latitude line, roughly equally spaced with the polar front weather systems placed on the leading edge and wind direction corresponding to the anticlockwise direction, and moving them around the globe in the right direction and randomly growing and shrinking them.
Temperature would tend to be highest at the tropics, lowest at the poles, most variable at the temperate regions (except for day night temperature changes in the desert and mountains) and least variable at the equator. Seasons could be simulated just by moving the whole zone system north or south by the specified amount.
It would be interesting to find out more about extra-terrestrial weather patterns for other kinds of models. Does this model look like a possibility for climate simulation?
