WI Earth's rotation had always been the other way

That website has some pretty bizarre stuff on it, but I really like the worldbuilding. I like this quote Who would make first contact? Would the Vikings of Spain and France land on the Grand Banks, or Basque fishermen from Gibraltar or Morocco (Oh, there will always be Basque fishermen. Trust me--there were Basque fishermen on Mars three billion years ago)... :D
 
I like karl2025's analysis and I would love to see a map though it'd be damned hard to make. The idea of Earth's rings is also inspired, though that would make the tides a bit whacky. I think it's better to assume the evolution of human beings, as in this situation pretty much all bets are off. Assuming humans existance just allows us to talk about it :D

Thank you ^_^ That class on Meteorology is really coming in handy!

Actually, I can still see a "human" race evolving on this world. ITTL, prior to North America linking up with South America, South America would likely have a tropical environment. The current on the Western side of the continent could flow through where Panama currently is and add a lot of energy to the Caribbean/Atlantic current which would flow down the coast of Brazil, giving it a warmer and more humid climate.

In this way you could have primates in a tropical environment being transformed into a savanna and having to adapt. So, a plausible scenario for bipedal primates.

...Or a lot of dead monkeys.
 
For anybody wanting a map, it's kinda rough draft.

Climate.png
 
(Oh, there will always be Basque fishermen. Trust me--there were Basque fishermen on Mars three billion years ago)... :D

Your Basque Fisherman statement has just been sigged...

Incidentally, since we're still learning about the exact mechanism involved, wouldn't Earth's plate tectonics have worked differently, resulting in much different continents and oceans than in OTL?
 
You're probably right.



Well, going East towards America would be against the current, so I don't think that'd make it any easier.

Actually, that greatly increases the odds that it's East Asians, and not Western Europeans, who first discover America. Before combustion, one of the most dangerously things you could do on the open ocean was to sail away from the coast in the same direction as the currents. You're cutting off your path back home.
 
Actually, that greatly increases the odds that it's East Asians, and not Western Europeans, who first discover America. Before combustion, one of the most dangerously things you could do on the open ocean was to sail away from the coast in the same direction as the currents. You're cutting off your path back home.

I hadn't thought of that... What about pre-historic exploration? Would the original natives still like sailing against the current?
 
It will effect the gravitational pulls on the other planets which in turn will effeect the earth, making earth unbearable.

Gravity is a function of mass, not rotation. The only heavenly body that would be affected in any meaningful way would be the Moon (which would doom us all and is thus hand waved away). If the Earth's revolution around the Sun were opposite, then there might be some differences with other planets.
 
Thank you ^_^ That class on Meteorology is really coming in handy!

Actually, I can still see a "human" race evolving on this world. ITTL, prior to North America linking up with South America, South America would likely have a tropical environment. The current on the Western side of the continent could flow through where Panama currently is and add a lot of energy to the Caribbean/Atlantic current which would flow down the coast of Brazil, giving it a warmer and more humid climate.

In this way you could have primates in a tropical environment being transformed into a savanna and having to adapt. So, a plausible scenario for bipedal primates.

...Or a lot of dead monkeys.

So humanity evolves in South America, and migrates from there to North America and then eventually across the Bering strait to Eurasia? From the map it looks like it'll take awhile for humanity to cross Eurasia. The Eurasian tundra and desert might make Europe/Africa a bit isolated from the Asian culture centres. Or maybe not.

What about the cradles of humanity in this world? Would the Amazon be irrigable floodplains going through desert? Perhaps that would be a likely place for the development of the first settled civilization.
 
Okay, this is a long dead thread, but I just thought of something... The geography would be different too. With rain falling on a different side of a mountain range, there would be different runoff. Florida, a product of the Appalachians, might not exist. Brazil would be smaller. Of course this would impact the weather further.
 
The wind/sea currents would flow in the opposite direction, the day/night cycle would be shorter, and compasses would point south if the core was spinning the opposite way as well.

Europe would be much colder* since the gulf stream would likely swoop up Africa and curl westward towards the Americas. Because Europe has such a high latitude and the wind is pushing the cold air west from the Russian steppes, I wouldn't be surprised to see glaciation north of the alps. The Medeterranian would likely stay nicely habitable since their climate doesn't rely on ocean currents. There would be FANTASTIC fishing in the Bay of Biscay because of the upwelling of cold water there.

South America would have very dry, savanna terrain. The Amazon rain forest is almost completely gone, as is the Amazon itself as they both rely on the westerly winds. The human race might well evolve here instead of Asia. Again, the East coast would be much better for fishing while the West Coast (Particularly Peru) would be much worse. On the plus side for the West Coasters, they will be hit by a LOT of storms as the warm, water heavy air tries to travel up the mountains, condenses and rains down. Because the strip of land between the sea and the mountains is so thin, it might well be uninhabitable due to the constant flooding. It would contain a lot of biomass though.

Agree. Relative to our TL, Scandinavia, Iceland, and the British Isles are virtually uninhabitable. Think warm period Greenland, Labrador, or just maybe Newfoundland.

North America** would be out of whack as well. The East Coast would be getting a lot more rainfall, but would be noticeably cooler, especially in the north. Again, you may see glaciation in northern Canada. More so than usual, I mean. The Southeast would be getting more of the Florida treatment as the wind would be from both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. The Texas region would be drier since the wind currents would no longer be bringing moisture from the gulf, but instead curve around and start dumping it on the Missouri/Nebraska area. California and the West Coast would be a Rain Forrest. Alaska and the West Coast of Canada would be much warmer.

Disagree. You would have a reversed Gulf Stream, which will give New England and Eastern Canada a climate more like you'd expect in Europe at that Latitude. Montreal is at the same latitude as Paris....

In Central America, Mexico would likely be much wetter on the West coast, being a continuation of the Californian Rain Forest, while the northeast would be a part of the great Texan desert. The isthmus between North and South America would remain largely the same.

Africa would be much like South America is today, dominated by a vast jungle. Huge lakes and swamplands would exist throughout the continent, and if we're lucky we might see the survival of inland whales.

Nifty.

In Southern Asia you'd still have the monsoon cycle, though it would be slightly less wet. Northwest India would be more of a forest and less of a jungle. Indonesia and Indochina would be largely unaffected. Australia's jungle would be in the Northwest instead of the Northeast. I have no earthly idea what would happen to China/Japan.

China and Japan would be drier in the middle, wetter in the north, with fewer freezing temperatures.
 
Yeah, I agree that East Canada will get some kind of Morrocan (?) Current which will make it significantly warmer, more like Europe.
 
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