What would the effects be on mountains, deserts, and grasslands? I know about the effects of a planet with no tilt, but I was curious about a 10 degree tilt. I am thinking the seasons would still be there but much less evident.
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1$\begingroup$ Welcome to WorldBuilding, Esther! If you have a moment please take the tour and visit the help center to learn more about the site. You may also find Worldbuilding Meta and The Sandbox useful. Have fun! $\endgroup$– FoxElementalMay 7, 2018 at 21:28
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4$\begingroup$ Earth's axial tilt is 24.5° and you know its weather. You have an idea of what the weather's like with a 0° tilt. Split the difference. Questions about how weather generally affects a planet are too-broad by definition because there are thousands variables and it is quite literally impossible to give you a sensible answer (placement of mountains, rivers, oceans, lakes, aquifers, volcanoes, gravity, magnetosphere, orbital distance, rotational speed, tectonica plates, and thousands of other variables). Specific questions we can handle. Broad ones like this... no. $\endgroup$– JBHMay 7, 2018 at 21:49
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1$\begingroup$ "seasons would still be there but much less evident." Answers are probably going to be vague and that is a good summary. Impact on mountains = no $\endgroup$– VincentMay 7, 2018 at 22:21
1 Answer
Earth's axial tilt is 23.5°. Assuming the orbital eccentricity is similar or identical to Earth's, you'd get cooler summers, warmer winters, and an easier transition between them (spring and fall) than we do here on earth. At least, the temperate and polar regions would have that. Effects on equatorial regions wouldn't be all that noticeable.
The effect on mountains would be negligible. Deserts are more a function of geography, rather than seasons, so they likely wouldn't be changed all that much, either. Grasslands might be more lush and stay green longer because of the milder winters where they'd be getting more rain instead of snow, but that's only one possible factor in what could happen to them.