Weather Patterns: Effect of Vertical Earth Rotation

[Ian Rumsey]

Could anybody say please, what change might occur in our current weather conditions, if the Earth rotated vertically, instead of the current angle of 22 1/2 degrees.

 

[Mk]

Well wouldn't everything just be turned 90 degrees?

 

[chroot]

What do you mean -- rotated vertically?

Do you mean What changes would occur if the Earth's rotational axis were perpindicular to its orbital plane?

- Warren

 

[Mk]

It would also be different because the land and the water are in different places.

 

[red_racecar]

If the Earth rotated on a vertical axis with no angle.

I believe if the axis of the Earth were not angled, but instead were completely vertical, there would be no differential heating and the seasons we know would go away. The same regions would receive the same amount of heating from the sun all the time, which would basically create superstorms over some parts of the world and no significant weather over the other parts.

 

[Andre]

Moreover, there would be huge ice caps on both poles, since those would be warm enough to accumulate snow, but also cold enough to keep it from thawing as the sun would never rise high enough to heat things up.