Game of Thrones' long winter explained

Scientists have used their spare time to model how the seasons in the fantasy hit, Game of Thrones, exist and last for such an extended period.

Scientists have come up with a theory to explain the strange, extended seasons - where summer can last for years - in the world of hit fantasy drama Game Of Thrones.

The phenomenon could be explained by a so-called "tumbling" of the tilt of the spinning axis of the planet as it orbits the sun.

This could occur in such a way that the same hemisphere always tilts towards the sun, they suggest.

Researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Cardiff and Southampton used a model to simulate the climate of Game Of Thrones.

They found that The Wall - where the land of Westeros is guarded from the White Walkers - has a winter climate similar to that of Lapland in Finland.

Casterly Rock - the stronghold of the scheming Lannisters - has a climate similar to Houston, Texas, and Changsha in China.

The researchers also modelled the global warming that would occur if concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere were to be doubled, due to increases in carbon dioxide and methane emissions from dragons and excessive use of wildfire.

Professor Carrie Lear, from Cardiff University, said: "This work is a bit of fun, but it does have a serious side. Climate models simulate real physical processes which operate in both cooling and warming climates."

The full results of the Game of Thrones study have been published in a mock journal article, also available in Dothraki and High Valyrian - fictional languages from the show.

Character Samwell Tarly, who is studying to become a "maester" at the Citadel in Oldtown in Westeros, is listed as the author of the research.

The actual model simulations were carried out on the supercomputers of the Advanced Centre for Research Computing at the University of Bristol.

They were not funded in any way and were set up in the researchers' spare time.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world