<p>Simple? Depends upon the level of accuracy you are looking for. Insolation alone is a rough indicator of sea surface temperatures.<br>
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/8gGs3.gif" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/8gGs3.gif" alt="enter image description here"></a>
image from <a href="http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/ocean/sst/contour/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/ocean/sst/contour/</a> </p>

<p>In more detail SSTs around the globe are significantly influenced by oceanic currents which, in turn, are very strongly influenced by the distribution of continents. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-23T11:53:14.777Z
This will be good enough for my purposes. I only want to make something that looks somewhat realistic, not a high fidelity model. After all, the game is about sea trading, not weather. Thanks!
PearsonArtPhoto
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-23T02:35:05.197Z
2016-06-23T02:35:05.197Z
Gordon Stanger
<p>I'm working on <a href="http://www.kd7uiy.com">piecing together a game that involve sea trading</a>, loosely based on historical conditions. As a part of making the game, I'm creating a map. From that map, I'm trying to determine what the temperature is, at least on average, for a number of reasons. I'm also going to include a seasonal model to it. What I'm trying to do is to find a first order estimate of the average temperature by day and by latitude, at sea level. I know that this varies tremendously based on a number of factors, but it seems to me that assuming equal distance to the sun, a perfectly spherical Earth with a known axial tilt, and some other reasonable assumptions, there should be a model that will work, which I can add to some noise to cover some of the other sources of error.</p>

<p>Bottom line, is there a relatively simple model of latitude and time of year vs average temperature at sea level? Bonus points if it includes a difference by altitude. Thanks!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-22T16:01:39.093Z
Maybe you can start with insolation: http://www.pveducation.org/pvcdrom/properties-of-sunlight/calculation-of-solar-insolation
arkaia
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-22T16:03:22.650Z
That looks like a good start, that's the kind of thing that I'm looking for, thanks!
PearsonArtPhoto
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-22T22:32:35.303Z
You can use satellite data and show average temperature at each point in your path. But if you really need a simple model, use this link http://www.aps.org/units/fps/newsletters/200807/hafemeister.cfm and approximate the temperature value as a function of latitude and time of the year following the path of the sun.
Gemechu Fanta Garuma
<meteorology><temperature><models>
Is there a simple temperature prediction model?
PearsonArtPhoto
# Is there a simple temperature prediction model?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-06-22)

I'm working on [piecing together a game that involve sea trading](http://www.kd7uiy.com), loosely based on historical conditions. As a part of making the game, I'm creating a map. From that map, I'm trying to determine what the temperature is, at least on average, for a number of reasons. I'm also going to include a seasonal model to it. What I'm trying to do is to find a first order estimate of the average temperature by day and by latitude, at sea level. I know that this varies tremendously based on a number of factors, but it seems to me that assuming equal distance to the sun, a perfectly spherical Earth with a known axial tilt, and some other reasonable assumptions, there should be a model that will work, which I can add to some noise to cover some of the other sources of error.

Bottom line, is there a relatively simple model of latitude and time of year vs average temperature at sea level? Bonus points if it includes a difference by altitude. Thanks!

**Tags:** meteorology, temperature, models

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Maybe you can start with insolation: http://www.pveducation.org/pvcdrom/properties-of-sunlight/calculation-of-solar-insolation  
> **username_0**: That looks like a good start, that's the kind of thing that I'm looking for, thanks!  
> **username_2**: You can use satellite data and show average temperature at each point in your path. But if you really need a simple model, use this link http://www.aps.org/units/fps/newsletters/200807/hafemeister.cfm and approximate the temperature value as a function of latitude and time of the year following the path of the sun.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-06-23. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

Simple? Depends upon the level of accuracy you are looking for. Insolation alone is a rough indicator of sea surface temperatures.  
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/8gGs3.gif)](https://i.sstatic.net/8gGs3.gif)
image from <http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/ocean/sst/contour/>

In more detail SSTs around the globe are significantly influenced by oceanic currents which, in turn, are very strongly influenced by the distribution of continents.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: This will be good enough for my purposes. I only want to make something that looks somewhat realistic, not a high fidelity model. After all, the game is about sea trading, not weather. Thanks!  

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