How to limit sight distance to 1 km












8












$begingroup$


My country is on the coast and spans deep into the continent. The technology level is before the invention of explosives. 10 years ago with naked eyes, anyone could see further than 10 kilometers away (if he/she was standing on a tall enough building). But today, the furthest anyone can see is 1 km tops.



What could possibly caused this? (non superstitious, mind you).






medieval weather vision







share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 8




    $begingroup$
    1KM top? stand in the centre of a big crater.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    Feb 28 at 8:53






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Is it 1km in all directions or just one direction? Why are explosives relevant?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    Feb 28 at 14:08










  • $begingroup$
    What about physical obstacles like trees? But then again, since it is inhabited, people might just chop them down.
    $endgroup$
    – Lord of the Larks
    Feb 28 at 14:20






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Maybe you should fork a more specific question "Under what climate conditions might natural fog be a permanent occurrence on a continental scale?"
    $endgroup$
    – dhinson919
    Feb 28 at 14:29






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Do people care that they can't see far? Will they take action to improve visibility? What do you mean by "can't 'see"? Things are blurred beyond that distance? It is dark beyond a certain point? There is smoke?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    Feb 28 at 14:58


















8












$begingroup$


My country is on the coast and spans deep into the continent. The technology level is before the invention of explosives. 10 years ago with naked eyes, anyone could see further than 10 kilometers away (if he/she was standing on a tall enough building). But today, the furthest anyone can see is 1 km tops.



What could possibly caused this? (non superstitious, mind you).






medieval weather vision







share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 8




    $begingroup$
    1KM top? stand in the centre of a big crater.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    Feb 28 at 8:53






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Is it 1km in all directions or just one direction? Why are explosives relevant?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    Feb 28 at 14:08










  • $begingroup$
    What about physical obstacles like trees? But then again, since it is inhabited, people might just chop them down.
    $endgroup$
    – Lord of the Larks
    Feb 28 at 14:20






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Maybe you should fork a more specific question "Under what climate conditions might natural fog be a permanent occurrence on a continental scale?"
    $endgroup$
    – dhinson919
    Feb 28 at 14:29






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Do people care that they can't see far? Will they take action to improve visibility? What do you mean by "can't 'see"? Things are blurred beyond that distance? It is dark beyond a certain point? There is smoke?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    Feb 28 at 14:58
















8












8








8





$begingroup$


My country is on the coast and spans deep into the continent. The technology level is before the invention of explosives. 10 years ago with naked eyes, anyone could see further than 10 kilometers away (if he/she was standing on a tall enough building). But today, the furthest anyone can see is 1 km tops.



What could possibly caused this? (non superstitious, mind you).






medieval weather vision







share|improve this question











$endgroup$




My country is on the coast and spans deep into the continent. The technology level is before the invention of explosives. 10 years ago with naked eyes, anyone could see further than 10 kilometers away (if he/she was standing on a tall enough building). But today, the furthest anyone can see is 1 km tops.



What could possibly caused this? (non superstitious, mind you).






medieval weather vision




medieval weather vision






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Feb 28 at 23:01









kubanczyk

25116




25116










asked Feb 28 at 8:22









NgocNgoc

1,40011122




1,40011122








  • 8




    $begingroup$
    1KM top? stand in the centre of a big crater.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    Feb 28 at 8:53






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Is it 1km in all directions or just one direction? Why are explosives relevant?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    Feb 28 at 14:08










  • $begingroup$
    What about physical obstacles like trees? But then again, since it is inhabited, people might just chop them down.
    $endgroup$
    – Lord of the Larks
    Feb 28 at 14:20






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Maybe you should fork a more specific question "Under what climate conditions might natural fog be a permanent occurrence on a continental scale?"
    $endgroup$
    – dhinson919
    Feb 28 at 14:29






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Do people care that they can't see far? Will they take action to improve visibility? What do you mean by "can't 'see"? Things are blurred beyond that distance? It is dark beyond a certain point? There is smoke?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    Feb 28 at 14:58
















  • 8




    $begingroup$
    1KM top? stand in the centre of a big crater.
    $endgroup$
    – user6760
    Feb 28 at 8:53






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Is it 1km in all directions or just one direction? Why are explosives relevant?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    Feb 28 at 14:08










  • $begingroup$
    What about physical obstacles like trees? But then again, since it is inhabited, people might just chop them down.
    $endgroup$
    – Lord of the Larks
    Feb 28 at 14:20






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    Maybe you should fork a more specific question "Under what climate conditions might natural fog be a permanent occurrence on a continental scale?"
    $endgroup$
    – dhinson919
    Feb 28 at 14:29






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Do people care that they can't see far? Will they take action to improve visibility? What do you mean by "can't 'see"? Things are blurred beyond that distance? It is dark beyond a certain point? There is smoke?
    $endgroup$
    – chasly from UK
    Feb 28 at 14:58










8




8




$begingroup$
1KM top? stand in the centre of a big crater.
$endgroup$
– user6760
Feb 28 at 8:53




$begingroup$
1KM top? stand in the centre of a big crater.
$endgroup$
– user6760
Feb 28 at 8:53




1




1




$begingroup$
Is it 1km in all directions or just one direction? Why are explosives relevant?
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
Feb 28 at 14:08




$begingroup$
Is it 1km in all directions or just one direction? Why are explosives relevant?
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
Feb 28 at 14:08












$begingroup$
What about physical obstacles like trees? But then again, since it is inhabited, people might just chop them down.
$endgroup$
– Lord of the Larks
Feb 28 at 14:20




$begingroup$
What about physical obstacles like trees? But then again, since it is inhabited, people might just chop them down.
$endgroup$
– Lord of the Larks
Feb 28 at 14:20




2




2




$begingroup$
Maybe you should fork a more specific question "Under what climate conditions might natural fog be a permanent occurrence on a continental scale?"
$endgroup$
– dhinson919
Feb 28 at 14:29




$begingroup$
Maybe you should fork a more specific question "Under what climate conditions might natural fog be a permanent occurrence on a continental scale?"
$endgroup$
– dhinson919
Feb 28 at 14:29




1




1




$begingroup$
Do people care that they can't see far? Will they take action to improve visibility? What do you mean by "can't 'see"? Things are blurred beyond that distance? It is dark beyond a certain point? There is smoke?
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
Feb 28 at 14:58






$begingroup$
Do people care that they can't see far? Will they take action to improve visibility? What do you mean by "can't 'see"? Things are blurred beyond that distance? It is dark beyond a certain point? There is smoke?
$endgroup$
– chasly from UK
Feb 28 at 14:58












6 Answers
6






active

oldest

votes


















24












$begingroup$

Air pollution can heavily limit visibility.



Look at Beijing: in days where the smog is heavy visibility is very limited.



Beijing with and without smog



Since you are setting your world in medieval time, have a lot of coal and wood to be burned. The resulting pollution of the atmosphere will do what you are asking for.



Climate can also help: fog, lack of winds, thermal inversion can also contribute to enhance the phenomena.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$









  • 8




    $begingroup$
    Take a look at London circa the Industrial Revolution for an example closer to the right time period.
    $endgroup$
    – Joe Bloggs
    Feb 28 at 9:16





















14












$begingroup$

To add to the other answer which mentions air pollution, here's a possible cause of the pollution:



Volcanic ash.



You mentioned that your country is on the coast and that it spans into the continent. As shown by the following diagram, volcanoes occur in mostly coastal regions:



World volcano map



This means your country could have a string of volcanoes along its coast. If the general wind patterns push air into the continent from the direction of the coast, then a prolonged eruption would cause a constant influx of volcanic ash into the air of your country. This would reduce visibility.



The extent to which it does this is up to you - look at the Toba eruption, which may have caused a global cooling period of up to 1000 years. Alternatively, the volcanoes could simply be slow burning. Rather than a huge, dramatic explosion, they could constantly release ash into the air, which is dragged inland by the wind. This is all up to you of course and depends on what you want to do with the story. Hope this helps.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$









  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Inland fires can generate a lot of ash too, although usually these do not last for months. But neither do volcanoes.
    $endgroup$
    – Willk
    Feb 28 at 15:14










  • $begingroup$
    @Willk I didn't think of that. I agree about the timescale though. That's why it would have to be either a supervolcano or a group of smaller ones producing the smog
    $endgroup$
    – user43712
    Feb 28 at 15:23










  • $begingroup$
    I had this idea in mind but It's already been used. Good one though, this creates an opportunity to expand on plot. It could lead to further disaster. such as smoke inhalation on a large scale. failing crops. And eventually a volcano erupting obviously.
    $endgroup$
    – Elias Rowan Albatross
    Feb 28 at 17:05










  • $begingroup$
    @Willk: Re "usually these do not last for months", I'm guessing you don't live just to the east of California.
    $endgroup$
    – jamesqf
    Feb 28 at 18:34










  • $begingroup$
    Coal seam fires can last for decades (or even millennia), but I don't think that they typically put out enough ash to smog up a coast. I'm not sure that there's enough fuel in any one place for a long standing coal fire that intense.
    $endgroup$
    – Arcanist Lupus
    Feb 28 at 23:19



















7












$begingroup$


VIRUS



@Roger thank you for the inspiration.



The world hasn't changed but the people in it has. A virus / bacteria / [something normally occurring] has undergone a trivial change for itself but in humans this change has caused our eyesight to degrade rabidly.



Once infected by the virus / bacteria at a young age the eyes of the victim start to warp in shape and this causes the limited view range.



Human and/or animal eyes now have an effective range of 1km and as it stands there is no cure or vaccine.



Could be fun if all animals had this happen to them vs only humans. Over time there would be a genetic push away from eyesight.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Trachoma and river blindness are two real world infectious causes of eyesight loss / blindness.
    $endgroup$
    – Willk
    Feb 28 at 16:53






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    As far as eye optics are concerned, if we want to blur everything beyond 1 km, the range as small as 10 meters would have to be severely affected.
    $endgroup$
    – Alexander
    Feb 28 at 19:13



















6












$begingroup$

Since your country is a coastal one, you could make sea fog a possible factor. Some kind of climatic changes over time (a combination of change in wind patterns and drop in temperatures) could possibly turn your country into a region where sea fogs occur frequently - both during day and night. And strong winds could push the fog inland so that visibility is highly reduced on towns lying by the coast.



https://eos.org/features/coastal-fog-climate-change-environment



Your country seems to resemble Australia quite a bit. :P



Sydney's Bondi Beach
Fog on a beach at Australia



https://www.theaustralian.com.au/video/id-5348771529001-5980291757001/Sea-Fog-Blankets-Sydney-s-Bondi-Beach



Newport beach, Australia - 2004
Newport beach, Australia - 2004



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthpicturegalleries/6501752/Australian-Weather-Calendar-2010.html?image=9






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    I was going to say fog, but not after they said "spans deep into the continent". It then becomes a question of what the geography would need to be for this to happen. I'd assume California gets foggy once in a while, but Colorado does not?
    $endgroup$
    – Mazura
    Mar 1 at 1:07










  • $begingroup$
    @Mazura Oh okay, I guess I got carried away by the 'coastal' part and missed out on that point.
    $endgroup$
    – Lord of the Larks
    Mar 1 at 5:26



















4












$begingroup$

Tragically, sudden onset vitamin A deficiency has swept the population. The high priest blames certain rascally-rabbits for decimating the carrot crop.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$





















    4












    $begingroup$

    Fuel



    As towns grow, they burn more fuel. All of that fuel goes up in smoke since the tech is such that there is no way to move the fuel use far away (like with electricity) and there are no scrubbers or the like.



    People burn what they can find for cookfires and campfires:




    • Wood

    • Other plant material

    • Meat (while they won't use meat for fuel, they use the fires they build to cook meat and other foods and they put out their own smoke)

    • Dried dung (a very common source of fuel, especially in places with lots of livestock but without a lot of wood)

    • Coal (way back when, coal deposits were on the surface or easily accessed; now you have to dig very deep to get what's left)

    • Peat (in communities with peat bogs, this is a primary source of fuel)

    • Oil (food grade, mostly used in lamps)

    • Bones (a prehistoric source of fuel)


    Also: Large-scale fires (not the cookfires and campfires discussed above). These can be caused by nature or they can be deliberately set. Many cultures used fire to prepare fields for planting and also to manage forests/orchards. If there is a war going on, fires may be more common.



    As others have pointed out here, all that smoke obscures vision like nothing else.






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$














      Your Answer





      StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
      return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
      StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
      StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
      });
      });
      }, "mathjax-editing");

      StackExchange.ready(function() {
      var channelOptions = {
      tags: "".split(" "),
      id: "579"
      };
      initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

      StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
      // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
      if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
      StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
      createEditor();
      });
      }
      else {
      createEditor();
      }
      });

      function createEditor() {
      StackExchange.prepareEditor({
      heartbeatType: 'answer',
      autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
      convertImagesToLinks: false,
      noModals: true,
      showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
      reputationToPostImages: null,
      bindNavPrevention: true,
      postfix: "",
      imageUploader: {
      brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
      contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
      allowUrls: true
      },
      noCode: true, onDemand: true,
      discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
      ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
      });


      }
      });














      draft saved

      draft discarded


















      StackExchange.ready(
      function () {
      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f140325%2fhow-to-limit-sight-distance-to-1-km%23new-answer', 'question_page');
      }
      );

      Post as a guest















      Required, but never shown

























      6 Answers
      6






      active

      oldest

      votes








      6 Answers
      6






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      24












      $begingroup$

      Air pollution can heavily limit visibility.



      Look at Beijing: in days where the smog is heavy visibility is very limited.



      Beijing with and without smog



      Since you are setting your world in medieval time, have a lot of coal and wood to be burned. The resulting pollution of the atmosphere will do what you are asking for.



      Climate can also help: fog, lack of winds, thermal inversion can also contribute to enhance the phenomena.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$









      • 8




        $begingroup$
        Take a look at London circa the Industrial Revolution for an example closer to the right time period.
        $endgroup$
        – Joe Bloggs
        Feb 28 at 9:16


















      24












      $begingroup$

      Air pollution can heavily limit visibility.



      Look at Beijing: in days where the smog is heavy visibility is very limited.



      Beijing with and without smog



      Since you are setting your world in medieval time, have a lot of coal and wood to be burned. The resulting pollution of the atmosphere will do what you are asking for.



      Climate can also help: fog, lack of winds, thermal inversion can also contribute to enhance the phenomena.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$









      • 8




        $begingroup$
        Take a look at London circa the Industrial Revolution for an example closer to the right time period.
        $endgroup$
        – Joe Bloggs
        Feb 28 at 9:16
















      24












      24








      24





      $begingroup$

      Air pollution can heavily limit visibility.



      Look at Beijing: in days where the smog is heavy visibility is very limited.



      Beijing with and without smog



      Since you are setting your world in medieval time, have a lot of coal and wood to be burned. The resulting pollution of the atmosphere will do what you are asking for.



      Climate can also help: fog, lack of winds, thermal inversion can also contribute to enhance the phenomena.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$



      Air pollution can heavily limit visibility.



      Look at Beijing: in days where the smog is heavy visibility is very limited.



      Beijing with and without smog



      Since you are setting your world in medieval time, have a lot of coal and wood to be burned. The resulting pollution of the atmosphere will do what you are asking for.



      Climate can also help: fog, lack of winds, thermal inversion can also contribute to enhance the phenomena.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Feb 28 at 8:38









      L.Dutch♦L.Dutch

      89.8k29208436




      89.8k29208436








      • 8




        $begingroup$
        Take a look at London circa the Industrial Revolution for an example closer to the right time period.
        $endgroup$
        – Joe Bloggs
        Feb 28 at 9:16
















      • 8




        $begingroup$
        Take a look at London circa the Industrial Revolution for an example closer to the right time period.
        $endgroup$
        – Joe Bloggs
        Feb 28 at 9:16










      8




      8




      $begingroup$
      Take a look at London circa the Industrial Revolution for an example closer to the right time period.
      $endgroup$
      – Joe Bloggs
      Feb 28 at 9:16






      $begingroup$
      Take a look at London circa the Industrial Revolution for an example closer to the right time period.
      $endgroup$
      – Joe Bloggs
      Feb 28 at 9:16













      14












      $begingroup$

      To add to the other answer which mentions air pollution, here's a possible cause of the pollution:



      Volcanic ash.



      You mentioned that your country is on the coast and that it spans into the continent. As shown by the following diagram, volcanoes occur in mostly coastal regions:



      World volcano map



      This means your country could have a string of volcanoes along its coast. If the general wind patterns push air into the continent from the direction of the coast, then a prolonged eruption would cause a constant influx of volcanic ash into the air of your country. This would reduce visibility.



      The extent to which it does this is up to you - look at the Toba eruption, which may have caused a global cooling period of up to 1000 years. Alternatively, the volcanoes could simply be slow burning. Rather than a huge, dramatic explosion, they could constantly release ash into the air, which is dragged inland by the wind. This is all up to you of course and depends on what you want to do with the story. Hope this helps.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$









      • 1




        $begingroup$
        Inland fires can generate a lot of ash too, although usually these do not last for months. But neither do volcanoes.
        $endgroup$
        – Willk
        Feb 28 at 15:14










      • $begingroup$
        @Willk I didn't think of that. I agree about the timescale though. That's why it would have to be either a supervolcano or a group of smaller ones producing the smog
        $endgroup$
        – user43712
        Feb 28 at 15:23










      • $begingroup$
        I had this idea in mind but It's already been used. Good one though, this creates an opportunity to expand on plot. It could lead to further disaster. such as smoke inhalation on a large scale. failing crops. And eventually a volcano erupting obviously.
        $endgroup$
        – Elias Rowan Albatross
        Feb 28 at 17:05










      • $begingroup$
        @Willk: Re "usually these do not last for months", I'm guessing you don't live just to the east of California.
        $endgroup$
        – jamesqf
        Feb 28 at 18:34










      • $begingroup$
        Coal seam fires can last for decades (or even millennia), but I don't think that they typically put out enough ash to smog up a coast. I'm not sure that there's enough fuel in any one place for a long standing coal fire that intense.
        $endgroup$
        – Arcanist Lupus
        Feb 28 at 23:19
















      14












      $begingroup$

      To add to the other answer which mentions air pollution, here's a possible cause of the pollution:



      Volcanic ash.



      You mentioned that your country is on the coast and that it spans into the continent. As shown by the following diagram, volcanoes occur in mostly coastal regions:



      World volcano map



      This means your country could have a string of volcanoes along its coast. If the general wind patterns push air into the continent from the direction of the coast, then a prolonged eruption would cause a constant influx of volcanic ash into the air of your country. This would reduce visibility.



      The extent to which it does this is up to you - look at the Toba eruption, which may have caused a global cooling period of up to 1000 years. Alternatively, the volcanoes could simply be slow burning. Rather than a huge, dramatic explosion, they could constantly release ash into the air, which is dragged inland by the wind. This is all up to you of course and depends on what you want to do with the story. Hope this helps.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$









      • 1




        $begingroup$
        Inland fires can generate a lot of ash too, although usually these do not last for months. But neither do volcanoes.
        $endgroup$
        – Willk
        Feb 28 at 15:14










      • $begingroup$
        @Willk I didn't think of that. I agree about the timescale though. That's why it would have to be either a supervolcano or a group of smaller ones producing the smog
        $endgroup$
        – user43712
        Feb 28 at 15:23










      • $begingroup$
        I had this idea in mind but It's already been used. Good one though, this creates an opportunity to expand on plot. It could lead to further disaster. such as smoke inhalation on a large scale. failing crops. And eventually a volcano erupting obviously.
        $endgroup$
        – Elias Rowan Albatross
        Feb 28 at 17:05










      • $begingroup$
        @Willk: Re "usually these do not last for months", I'm guessing you don't live just to the east of California.
        $endgroup$
        – jamesqf
        Feb 28 at 18:34










      • $begingroup$
        Coal seam fires can last for decades (or even millennia), but I don't think that they typically put out enough ash to smog up a coast. I'm not sure that there's enough fuel in any one place for a long standing coal fire that intense.
        $endgroup$
        – Arcanist Lupus
        Feb 28 at 23:19














      14












      14








      14





      $begingroup$

      To add to the other answer which mentions air pollution, here's a possible cause of the pollution:



      Volcanic ash.



      You mentioned that your country is on the coast and that it spans into the continent. As shown by the following diagram, volcanoes occur in mostly coastal regions:



      World volcano map



      This means your country could have a string of volcanoes along its coast. If the general wind patterns push air into the continent from the direction of the coast, then a prolonged eruption would cause a constant influx of volcanic ash into the air of your country. This would reduce visibility.



      The extent to which it does this is up to you - look at the Toba eruption, which may have caused a global cooling period of up to 1000 years. Alternatively, the volcanoes could simply be slow burning. Rather than a huge, dramatic explosion, they could constantly release ash into the air, which is dragged inland by the wind. This is all up to you of course and depends on what you want to do with the story. Hope this helps.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$



      To add to the other answer which mentions air pollution, here's a possible cause of the pollution:



      Volcanic ash.



      You mentioned that your country is on the coast and that it spans into the continent. As shown by the following diagram, volcanoes occur in mostly coastal regions:



      World volcano map



      This means your country could have a string of volcanoes along its coast. If the general wind patterns push air into the continent from the direction of the coast, then a prolonged eruption would cause a constant influx of volcanic ash into the air of your country. This would reduce visibility.



      The extent to which it does this is up to you - look at the Toba eruption, which may have caused a global cooling period of up to 1000 years. Alternatively, the volcanoes could simply be slow burning. Rather than a huge, dramatic explosion, they could constantly release ash into the air, which is dragged inland by the wind. This is all up to you of course and depends on what you want to do with the story. Hope this helps.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Feb 28 at 13:25









      user43712user43712

      40219




      40219








      • 1




        $begingroup$
        Inland fires can generate a lot of ash too, although usually these do not last for months. But neither do volcanoes.
        $endgroup$
        – Willk
        Feb 28 at 15:14










      • $begingroup$
        @Willk I didn't think of that. I agree about the timescale though. That's why it would have to be either a supervolcano or a group of smaller ones producing the smog
        $endgroup$
        – user43712
        Feb 28 at 15:23










      • $begingroup$
        I had this idea in mind but It's already been used. Good one though, this creates an opportunity to expand on plot. It could lead to further disaster. such as smoke inhalation on a large scale. failing crops. And eventually a volcano erupting obviously.
        $endgroup$
        – Elias Rowan Albatross
        Feb 28 at 17:05










      • $begingroup$
        @Willk: Re "usually these do not last for months", I'm guessing you don't live just to the east of California.
        $endgroup$
        – jamesqf
        Feb 28 at 18:34










      • $begingroup$
        Coal seam fires can last for decades (or even millennia), but I don't think that they typically put out enough ash to smog up a coast. I'm not sure that there's enough fuel in any one place for a long standing coal fire that intense.
        $endgroup$
        – Arcanist Lupus
        Feb 28 at 23:19














      • 1




        $begingroup$
        Inland fires can generate a lot of ash too, although usually these do not last for months. But neither do volcanoes.
        $endgroup$
        – Willk
        Feb 28 at 15:14










      • $begingroup$
        @Willk I didn't think of that. I agree about the timescale though. That's why it would have to be either a supervolcano or a group of smaller ones producing the smog
        $endgroup$
        – user43712
        Feb 28 at 15:23










      • $begingroup$
        I had this idea in mind but It's already been used. Good one though, this creates an opportunity to expand on plot. It could lead to further disaster. such as smoke inhalation on a large scale. failing crops. And eventually a volcano erupting obviously.
        $endgroup$
        – Elias Rowan Albatross
        Feb 28 at 17:05










      • $begingroup$
        @Willk: Re "usually these do not last for months", I'm guessing you don't live just to the east of California.
        $endgroup$
        – jamesqf
        Feb 28 at 18:34










      • $begingroup$
        Coal seam fires can last for decades (or even millennia), but I don't think that they typically put out enough ash to smog up a coast. I'm not sure that there's enough fuel in any one place for a long standing coal fire that intense.
        $endgroup$
        – Arcanist Lupus
        Feb 28 at 23:19








      1




      1




      $begingroup$
      Inland fires can generate a lot of ash too, although usually these do not last for months. But neither do volcanoes.
      $endgroup$
      – Willk
      Feb 28 at 15:14




      $begingroup$
      Inland fires can generate a lot of ash too, although usually these do not last for months. But neither do volcanoes.
      $endgroup$
      – Willk
      Feb 28 at 15:14












      $begingroup$
      @Willk I didn't think of that. I agree about the timescale though. That's why it would have to be either a supervolcano or a group of smaller ones producing the smog
      $endgroup$
      – user43712
      Feb 28 at 15:23




      $begingroup$
      @Willk I didn't think of that. I agree about the timescale though. That's why it would have to be either a supervolcano or a group of smaller ones producing the smog
      $endgroup$
      – user43712
      Feb 28 at 15:23












      $begingroup$
      I had this idea in mind but It's already been used. Good one though, this creates an opportunity to expand on plot. It could lead to further disaster. such as smoke inhalation on a large scale. failing crops. And eventually a volcano erupting obviously.
      $endgroup$
      – Elias Rowan Albatross
      Feb 28 at 17:05




      $begingroup$
      I had this idea in mind but It's already been used. Good one though, this creates an opportunity to expand on plot. It could lead to further disaster. such as smoke inhalation on a large scale. failing crops. And eventually a volcano erupting obviously.
      $endgroup$
      – Elias Rowan Albatross
      Feb 28 at 17:05












      $begingroup$
      @Willk: Re "usually these do not last for months", I'm guessing you don't live just to the east of California.
      $endgroup$
      – jamesqf
      Feb 28 at 18:34




      $begingroup$
      @Willk: Re "usually these do not last for months", I'm guessing you don't live just to the east of California.
      $endgroup$
      – jamesqf
      Feb 28 at 18:34












      $begingroup$
      Coal seam fires can last for decades (or even millennia), but I don't think that they typically put out enough ash to smog up a coast. I'm not sure that there's enough fuel in any one place for a long standing coal fire that intense.
      $endgroup$
      – Arcanist Lupus
      Feb 28 at 23:19




      $begingroup$
      Coal seam fires can last for decades (or even millennia), but I don't think that they typically put out enough ash to smog up a coast. I'm not sure that there's enough fuel in any one place for a long standing coal fire that intense.
      $endgroup$
      – Arcanist Lupus
      Feb 28 at 23:19











      7












      $begingroup$


      VIRUS



      @Roger thank you for the inspiration.



      The world hasn't changed but the people in it has. A virus / bacteria / [something normally occurring] has undergone a trivial change for itself but in humans this change has caused our eyesight to degrade rabidly.



      Once infected by the virus / bacteria at a young age the eyes of the victim start to warp in shape and this causes the limited view range.



      Human and/or animal eyes now have an effective range of 1km and as it stands there is no cure or vaccine.



      Could be fun if all animals had this happen to them vs only humans. Over time there would be a genetic push away from eyesight.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$













      • $begingroup$
        Trachoma and river blindness are two real world infectious causes of eyesight loss / blindness.
        $endgroup$
        – Willk
        Feb 28 at 16:53






      • 2




        $begingroup$
        As far as eye optics are concerned, if we want to blur everything beyond 1 km, the range as small as 10 meters would have to be severely affected.
        $endgroup$
        – Alexander
        Feb 28 at 19:13
















      7












      $begingroup$


      VIRUS



      @Roger thank you for the inspiration.



      The world hasn't changed but the people in it has. A virus / bacteria / [something normally occurring] has undergone a trivial change for itself but in humans this change has caused our eyesight to degrade rabidly.



      Once infected by the virus / bacteria at a young age the eyes of the victim start to warp in shape and this causes the limited view range.



      Human and/or animal eyes now have an effective range of 1km and as it stands there is no cure or vaccine.



      Could be fun if all animals had this happen to them vs only humans. Over time there would be a genetic push away from eyesight.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$













      • $begingroup$
        Trachoma and river blindness are two real world infectious causes of eyesight loss / blindness.
        $endgroup$
        – Willk
        Feb 28 at 16:53






      • 2




        $begingroup$
        As far as eye optics are concerned, if we want to blur everything beyond 1 km, the range as small as 10 meters would have to be severely affected.
        $endgroup$
        – Alexander
        Feb 28 at 19:13














      7












      7








      7





      $begingroup$


      VIRUS



      @Roger thank you for the inspiration.



      The world hasn't changed but the people in it has. A virus / bacteria / [something normally occurring] has undergone a trivial change for itself but in humans this change has caused our eyesight to degrade rabidly.



      Once infected by the virus / bacteria at a young age the eyes of the victim start to warp in shape and this causes the limited view range.



      Human and/or animal eyes now have an effective range of 1km and as it stands there is no cure or vaccine.



      Could be fun if all animals had this happen to them vs only humans. Over time there would be a genetic push away from eyesight.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$




      VIRUS



      @Roger thank you for the inspiration.



      The world hasn't changed but the people in it has. A virus / bacteria / [something normally occurring] has undergone a trivial change for itself but in humans this change has caused our eyesight to degrade rabidly.



      Once infected by the virus / bacteria at a young age the eyes of the victim start to warp in shape and this causes the limited view range.



      Human and/or animal eyes now have an effective range of 1km and as it stands there is no cure or vaccine.



      Could be fun if all animals had this happen to them vs only humans. Over time there would be a genetic push away from eyesight.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Feb 28 at 16:49









      TolureTolure

      1,14216




      1,14216












      • $begingroup$
        Trachoma and river blindness are two real world infectious causes of eyesight loss / blindness.
        $endgroup$
        – Willk
        Feb 28 at 16:53






      • 2




        $begingroup$
        As far as eye optics are concerned, if we want to blur everything beyond 1 km, the range as small as 10 meters would have to be severely affected.
        $endgroup$
        – Alexander
        Feb 28 at 19:13


















      • $begingroup$
        Trachoma and river blindness are two real world infectious causes of eyesight loss / blindness.
        $endgroup$
        – Willk
        Feb 28 at 16:53






      • 2




        $begingroup$
        As far as eye optics are concerned, if we want to blur everything beyond 1 km, the range as small as 10 meters would have to be severely affected.
        $endgroup$
        – Alexander
        Feb 28 at 19:13
















      $begingroup$
      Trachoma and river blindness are two real world infectious causes of eyesight loss / blindness.
      $endgroup$
      – Willk
      Feb 28 at 16:53




      $begingroup$
      Trachoma and river blindness are two real world infectious causes of eyesight loss / blindness.
      $endgroup$
      – Willk
      Feb 28 at 16:53




      2




      2




      $begingroup$
      As far as eye optics are concerned, if we want to blur everything beyond 1 km, the range as small as 10 meters would have to be severely affected.
      $endgroup$
      – Alexander
      Feb 28 at 19:13




      $begingroup$
      As far as eye optics are concerned, if we want to blur everything beyond 1 km, the range as small as 10 meters would have to be severely affected.
      $endgroup$
      – Alexander
      Feb 28 at 19:13











      6












      $begingroup$

      Since your country is a coastal one, you could make sea fog a possible factor. Some kind of climatic changes over time (a combination of change in wind patterns and drop in temperatures) could possibly turn your country into a region where sea fogs occur frequently - both during day and night. And strong winds could push the fog inland so that visibility is highly reduced on towns lying by the coast.



      https://eos.org/features/coastal-fog-climate-change-environment



      Your country seems to resemble Australia quite a bit. :P



      Sydney's Bondi Beach
      Fog on a beach at Australia



      https://www.theaustralian.com.au/video/id-5348771529001-5980291757001/Sea-Fog-Blankets-Sydney-s-Bondi-Beach



      Newport beach, Australia - 2004
      Newport beach, Australia - 2004



      https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthpicturegalleries/6501752/Australian-Weather-Calendar-2010.html?image=9






      share|improve this answer











      $endgroup$













      • $begingroup$
        I was going to say fog, but not after they said "spans deep into the continent". It then becomes a question of what the geography would need to be for this to happen. I'd assume California gets foggy once in a while, but Colorado does not?
        $endgroup$
        – Mazura
        Mar 1 at 1:07










      • $begingroup$
        @Mazura Oh okay, I guess I got carried away by the 'coastal' part and missed out on that point.
        $endgroup$
        – Lord of the Larks
        Mar 1 at 5:26
















      6












      $begingroup$

      Since your country is a coastal one, you could make sea fog a possible factor. Some kind of climatic changes over time (a combination of change in wind patterns and drop in temperatures) could possibly turn your country into a region where sea fogs occur frequently - both during day and night. And strong winds could push the fog inland so that visibility is highly reduced on towns lying by the coast.



      https://eos.org/features/coastal-fog-climate-change-environment



      Your country seems to resemble Australia quite a bit. :P



      Sydney's Bondi Beach
      Fog on a beach at Australia



      https://www.theaustralian.com.au/video/id-5348771529001-5980291757001/Sea-Fog-Blankets-Sydney-s-Bondi-Beach



      Newport beach, Australia - 2004
      Newport beach, Australia - 2004



      https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthpicturegalleries/6501752/Australian-Weather-Calendar-2010.html?image=9






      share|improve this answer











      $endgroup$













      • $begingroup$
        I was going to say fog, but not after they said "spans deep into the continent". It then becomes a question of what the geography would need to be for this to happen. I'd assume California gets foggy once in a while, but Colorado does not?
        $endgroup$
        – Mazura
        Mar 1 at 1:07










      • $begingroup$
        @Mazura Oh okay, I guess I got carried away by the 'coastal' part and missed out on that point.
        $endgroup$
        – Lord of the Larks
        Mar 1 at 5:26














      6












      6








      6





      $begingroup$

      Since your country is a coastal one, you could make sea fog a possible factor. Some kind of climatic changes over time (a combination of change in wind patterns and drop in temperatures) could possibly turn your country into a region where sea fogs occur frequently - both during day and night. And strong winds could push the fog inland so that visibility is highly reduced on towns lying by the coast.



      https://eos.org/features/coastal-fog-climate-change-environment



      Your country seems to resemble Australia quite a bit. :P



      Sydney's Bondi Beach
      Fog on a beach at Australia



      https://www.theaustralian.com.au/video/id-5348771529001-5980291757001/Sea-Fog-Blankets-Sydney-s-Bondi-Beach



      Newport beach, Australia - 2004
      Newport beach, Australia - 2004



      https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthpicturegalleries/6501752/Australian-Weather-Calendar-2010.html?image=9






      share|improve this answer











      $endgroup$



      Since your country is a coastal one, you could make sea fog a possible factor. Some kind of climatic changes over time (a combination of change in wind patterns and drop in temperatures) could possibly turn your country into a region where sea fogs occur frequently - both during day and night. And strong winds could push the fog inland so that visibility is highly reduced on towns lying by the coast.



      https://eos.org/features/coastal-fog-climate-change-environment



      Your country seems to resemble Australia quite a bit. :P



      Sydney's Bondi Beach
      Fog on a beach at Australia



      https://www.theaustralian.com.au/video/id-5348771529001-5980291757001/Sea-Fog-Blankets-Sydney-s-Bondi-Beach



      Newport beach, Australia - 2004
      Newport beach, Australia - 2004



      https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthpicturegalleries/6501752/Australian-Weather-Calendar-2010.html?image=9







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Feb 28 at 14:42

























      answered Feb 28 at 14:25









      Lord of the LarksLord of the Larks

      393110




      393110












      • $begingroup$
        I was going to say fog, but not after they said "spans deep into the continent". It then becomes a question of what the geography would need to be for this to happen. I'd assume California gets foggy once in a while, but Colorado does not?
        $endgroup$
        – Mazura
        Mar 1 at 1:07










      • $begingroup$
        @Mazura Oh okay, I guess I got carried away by the 'coastal' part and missed out on that point.
        $endgroup$
        – Lord of the Larks
        Mar 1 at 5:26


















      • $begingroup$
        I was going to say fog, but not after they said "spans deep into the continent". It then becomes a question of what the geography would need to be for this to happen. I'd assume California gets foggy once in a while, but Colorado does not?
        $endgroup$
        – Mazura
        Mar 1 at 1:07










      • $begingroup$
        @Mazura Oh okay, I guess I got carried away by the 'coastal' part and missed out on that point.
        $endgroup$
        – Lord of the Larks
        Mar 1 at 5:26
















      $begingroup$
      I was going to say fog, but not after they said "spans deep into the continent". It then becomes a question of what the geography would need to be for this to happen. I'd assume California gets foggy once in a while, but Colorado does not?
      $endgroup$
      – Mazura
      Mar 1 at 1:07




      $begingroup$
      I was going to say fog, but not after they said "spans deep into the continent". It then becomes a question of what the geography would need to be for this to happen. I'd assume California gets foggy once in a while, but Colorado does not?
      $endgroup$
      – Mazura
      Mar 1 at 1:07












      $begingroup$
      @Mazura Oh okay, I guess I got carried away by the 'coastal' part and missed out on that point.
      $endgroup$
      – Lord of the Larks
      Mar 1 at 5:26




      $begingroup$
      @Mazura Oh okay, I guess I got carried away by the 'coastal' part and missed out on that point.
      $endgroup$
      – Lord of the Larks
      Mar 1 at 5:26











      4












      $begingroup$

      Tragically, sudden onset vitamin A deficiency has swept the population. The high priest blames certain rascally-rabbits for decimating the carrot crop.






      share|improve this answer









      $endgroup$


















        4












        $begingroup$

        Tragically, sudden onset vitamin A deficiency has swept the population. The high priest blames certain rascally-rabbits for decimating the carrot crop.






        share|improve this answer









        $endgroup$
















          4












          4








          4





          $begingroup$

          Tragically, sudden onset vitamin A deficiency has swept the population. The high priest blames certain rascally-rabbits for decimating the carrot crop.






          share|improve this answer









          $endgroup$



          Tragically, sudden onset vitamin A deficiency has swept the population. The high priest blames certain rascally-rabbits for decimating the carrot crop.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Feb 28 at 15:53









          RogerRoger

          3,135420




          3,135420























              4












              $begingroup$

              Fuel



              As towns grow, they burn more fuel. All of that fuel goes up in smoke since the tech is such that there is no way to move the fuel use far away (like with electricity) and there are no scrubbers or the like.



              People burn what they can find for cookfires and campfires:




              • Wood

              • Other plant material

              • Meat (while they won't use meat for fuel, they use the fires they build to cook meat and other foods and they put out their own smoke)

              • Dried dung (a very common source of fuel, especially in places with lots of livestock but without a lot of wood)

              • Coal (way back when, coal deposits were on the surface or easily accessed; now you have to dig very deep to get what's left)

              • Peat (in communities with peat bogs, this is a primary source of fuel)

              • Oil (food grade, mostly used in lamps)

              • Bones (a prehistoric source of fuel)


              Also: Large-scale fires (not the cookfires and campfires discussed above). These can be caused by nature or they can be deliberately set. Many cultures used fire to prepare fields for planting and also to manage forests/orchards. If there is a war going on, fires may be more common.



              As others have pointed out here, all that smoke obscures vision like nothing else.






              share|improve this answer









              $endgroup$


















                4












                $begingroup$

                Fuel



                As towns grow, they burn more fuel. All of that fuel goes up in smoke since the tech is such that there is no way to move the fuel use far away (like with electricity) and there are no scrubbers or the like.



                People burn what they can find for cookfires and campfires:




                • Wood

                • Other plant material

                • Meat (while they won't use meat for fuel, they use the fires they build to cook meat and other foods and they put out their own smoke)

                • Dried dung (a very common source of fuel, especially in places with lots of livestock but without a lot of wood)

                • Coal (way back when, coal deposits were on the surface or easily accessed; now you have to dig very deep to get what's left)

                • Peat (in communities with peat bogs, this is a primary source of fuel)

                • Oil (food grade, mostly used in lamps)

                • Bones (a prehistoric source of fuel)


                Also: Large-scale fires (not the cookfires and campfires discussed above). These can be caused by nature or they can be deliberately set. Many cultures used fire to prepare fields for planting and also to manage forests/orchards. If there is a war going on, fires may be more common.



                As others have pointed out here, all that smoke obscures vision like nothing else.






                share|improve this answer









                $endgroup$
















                  4












                  4








                  4





                  $begingroup$

                  Fuel



                  As towns grow, they burn more fuel. All of that fuel goes up in smoke since the tech is such that there is no way to move the fuel use far away (like with electricity) and there are no scrubbers or the like.



                  People burn what they can find for cookfires and campfires:




                  • Wood

                  • Other plant material

                  • Meat (while they won't use meat for fuel, they use the fires they build to cook meat and other foods and they put out their own smoke)

                  • Dried dung (a very common source of fuel, especially in places with lots of livestock but without a lot of wood)

                  • Coal (way back when, coal deposits were on the surface or easily accessed; now you have to dig very deep to get what's left)

                  • Peat (in communities with peat bogs, this is a primary source of fuel)

                  • Oil (food grade, mostly used in lamps)

                  • Bones (a prehistoric source of fuel)


                  Also: Large-scale fires (not the cookfires and campfires discussed above). These can be caused by nature or they can be deliberately set. Many cultures used fire to prepare fields for planting and also to manage forests/orchards. If there is a war going on, fires may be more common.



                  As others have pointed out here, all that smoke obscures vision like nothing else.






                  share|improve this answer









                  $endgroup$



                  Fuel



                  As towns grow, they burn more fuel. All of that fuel goes up in smoke since the tech is such that there is no way to move the fuel use far away (like with electricity) and there are no scrubbers or the like.



                  People burn what they can find for cookfires and campfires:




                  • Wood

                  • Other plant material

                  • Meat (while they won't use meat for fuel, they use the fires they build to cook meat and other foods and they put out their own smoke)

                  • Dried dung (a very common source of fuel, especially in places with lots of livestock but without a lot of wood)

                  • Coal (way back when, coal deposits were on the surface or easily accessed; now you have to dig very deep to get what's left)

                  • Peat (in communities with peat bogs, this is a primary source of fuel)

                  • Oil (food grade, mostly used in lamps)

                  • Bones (a prehistoric source of fuel)


                  Also: Large-scale fires (not the cookfires and campfires discussed above). These can be caused by nature or they can be deliberately set. Many cultures used fire to prepare fields for planting and also to manage forests/orchards. If there is a war going on, fires may be more common.



                  As others have pointed out here, all that smoke obscures vision like nothing else.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Feb 28 at 18:46









                  CynCyn

                  10.9k12349




                  10.9k12349






























                      draft saved

                      draft discarded




















































                      Thanks for contributing an answer to Worldbuilding Stack Exchange!


                      • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                      But avoid …



                      • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                      • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                      Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


                      To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                      draft saved


                      draft discarded














                      StackExchange.ready(
                      function () {
                      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f140325%2fhow-to-limit-sight-distance-to-1-km%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                      }
                      );

                      Post as a guest















                      Required, but never shown





















































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown

































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown







                      -

                      Popular posts from this blog

                      Probability when a professor distributes a quiz and homework assignment to a class of n students.

                      Image
                      0 0 $begingroup$ Need help with this problem. Suppose our lazy professor collects a quiz and a homework assignment from a class of n students one day, then distributes both the quizzes and the homework assignments back to the class in a random fashion for grading. Each student receives one quiz and one homework assignment to grade. (a) What is the probability that every student receives someone else's quiz to grade, and someone else's homework to grade? (b) What is the probability that no student receives both their own quiz and their own homework assignment to grade? In this case, some students may receive their own quiz, and others may receive their own homework assignment. (c) Compute the limiting probability as n approaches infinity in each case. ...
                      Read more

                      Aardman Animations

                      Image
                      Aardman Animations, Ltd. Aardman Animations Tipo privada Atividade Animação em stop-motion , Animação em CGI Fundação 1972 Fundador(es) Peter Lord David Sproxton Sede Bristol, Inglaterra  Reino Unido Proprietário(s) Dreamworks Pessoas-chave Peter Lord David Sproxton Nick Park Divisões Aardman Features Aardman Digital Aardman Commercials Aardman Broadcast Aardman International Aardman Rights Aardman Effects Aardman 3-D Systems Aardman Nathan Love AardBoiled Website oficial aardman.com ...
                      Read more

                      Are they similar matrix

                      Image
                      0 $begingroup$ Do $begin{bmatrix} 0&i&0\0&0&1\0&0&0 end{bmatrix} $ and $begin{bmatrix} 0&0&0\-i&0&0\0&1&0 end{bmatrix} $ are similar.Is this True/false Clearly both are nilpotent and one is conjucate transpose of other but how to know if they are similar.i'm stuck. Please help me linear-algebra vector-spaces eigenvalues-eigenvectors generalizedeigenvector share | cite | improve this question edited Dec 10 '18 at 6:38 Vasanth Kris asked Dec 10 '18 at 6:19 ...
                      Read more