Is it possible for an entire planet to have the same climate? So lets for example say an entire world with a northern european (scandinavian) climate and accompanying geography. (No deserts, no rainforests, no polar ice)
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$\begingroup$ I'm pretty sure I have seen this before. Sadly, I can't find it now. $\endgroup$– MołotNov 14, 2018 at 23:03
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$\begingroup$ i dont see how, because heat will always be, in effect, arriving at the equator and getting transported/dissipated at latitudes moving out. only with a lossless transfer could heat at the poles equal heat at the equator. $\endgroup$– theRileyNov 14, 2018 at 23:27
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$\begingroup$ Also related: Are single-biomed planets (like in Star Wars) possible? and Single biome (hot) desert planet, possible?. $\endgroup$– MołotNov 14, 2018 at 23:44
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$\begingroup$ @Mołot, well... yes... a duplicate... technically. It would be nice to have a community wiki that rolls all this stuff up because the answer to the OP's first question is "yes," but the answer to the following condition is "no," and none of those questions actually address all that. In fact, for the purpose of this OP, the answers (which are generally "yes") are misleading because they don't deal specifically with the issues of habitability. I'm going to sigh and VTC:DUP this question along side you, but we need a comprehensive question that leads to a comprehensive answer. $\endgroup$– JBHNov 15, 2018 at 0:08
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$\begingroup$ @JBH Community Wiki question to work out canonical answer would be great. Maybe we should work on in on meta? $\endgroup$– MołotNov 15, 2018 at 0:17
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4 Answers
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This concept is known as a "Single-Biome Planet" and they are a fictional concept.
It is impossible for a planet that orbits a star to have only one biome while remaining anything akin to Earth, however it is possible for a planet to have reduced extremes of temperature compared to Earth.
The thicker a planet's atmosphere, the more heat will be distributed around the planet, so you could have a planet with a warm equator and poles that are only a little cooler.
Additionally, having lower topography would result in rain-bearing air being able to transport moisture further from the sea, so a flatter planet will have reduced continental aridity.
You must be aware though, that if the atmosphere is too thick, it will have consequences for human survival. Likewise, low topography suggests that the planet has either greater surface gravity, or reduced tectonics, both of which have consequences for life. (e.g. reduced carbon cycle)
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Alternately if by biome you mean across all land area. There are several examples of this during earth's own history.
- Molten earth (everything was still lava)
- Snow Ball earth (everything was covered by snow and ice).
- The Permian (particularly close to the extinction) everywhere was essentially arid scrub/desert.
Alternately pick any biome of your choosing. Make a small landmass at the right latitude. Everywhere else is ocean (conveniently not a Biome for the purpose of this definition).
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One way to do this would be to ensure each unit of area on the planet absorbs the same amount of energy. Normally the poles receive less energy because the surface of the planet is at an angle to the sun's rays. The solution could be an extraordinarily unique geology. If the rocks near the equator were almost entirely white, and they shifted towards almost entirely black at the poles, you could counteract the effect of this incidence angle.
It'd be one heck of a bespoke planet!
answered Nov 15, 2018 at 0:28
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$\begingroup$ Want a bespoke planet ? Drop by Magrathea ! Unless they're "closed for business", of course. :-) $\endgroup$ Nov 15, 2018 at 5:27
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Yes the planet is an ancient Rogue Planet floating out in deep space
It has lost all heat
It is near no star
it is not being acted upon by any significant gravitational bodies.
Would be uniformly cold
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$\begingroup$ How would that give "a northern european (scandinavian) climate"? $\endgroup$– MołotNov 14, 2018 at 23:42
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1$\begingroup$ OK, @Mołot is correct that your answer is incomplete because it does not address the OP's desire to achieve a specific condition of a general case. However, I'm going to give you +1 because you've described the one and only way to produce a uniform climate of any kind on a planet. Cheers. $\endgroup$– JBHNov 14, 2018 at 23:51
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1$\begingroup$ I stand corrected, "But on Venus, the surface temperature is 460 degrees Celsius, day or night, at the poles or at the equator." Still, not the balmy scandanavian weather the OP is looking for. $\endgroup$– JBHNov 14, 2018 at 23:56