

If the Earth Stood Still - bjonathan
http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0610/nospin.html

======
nix
They modeled gravity but not the atmosphere. So the most drastic effect isn't
even mentioned - the much longer day length would roast the planet on one side
and freeze it on the other.

Also, no mention of what the weather would be like without Coriolis "force" -
no cyclones, no prevailing westerlies, no geostrophic winds. Would you get one
big Bénard cell or multiples? (Currently there are six).

I suspect that these changes would be much more dramatic than the ones they
discuss. Surely some hard SF writer has thought through this further?

~~~
sliverstorm
I don't think weather is what they were interested in.

Notice they said it was done to demonstrate GIS technology, and GIS stands for
_Geographic_ Information Systems

~~~
gallipoli
You might have confused "geographic" with "geologic". The use of GIS for
meteorology is probably just a little younger than GIS itself.

------
gcanyon
I think they're overlooking the effect on the atmosphere. If the water will
all flow to the poles, so will the air. If the difference in distance to the
center of the earth is 21km then there would be little air left at the equator
-- it would be like standing on Everest, or thereabout. Plant and animal life
would not survive across broad regions of what is currently inhabitable land.

Further, the water at the poles would be extemely deep, and subject to cold
(winter) temps year.

------
Nagyman
Earth has locked rotation with the sun rather than stopped altogether, but
this is related and a fun read:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hothouse_(novel)>

------
zeynel1
i think the title is misleading - they mean if the earth stopped --rotating--
around its axis

~~~
ugh
If the Earth stopped altogether it should fall into the Sun. No maps to draw,
then :)

~~~
boredguy8
Stopped altogether from which frame of reference? ;)

