Szernas
Szernas (prounounced zeer-noss) is a Pelagic-class planet located in the Tyran system in the Gamma quadrant. It is the homeworld of the H'Tarran people.
Habitability
Szernas is an exceptionally dense planet relative to its size, so the planet possesses a naturally intense gravity well (approximately 5.4 G). In addition to being greatly inhospitable to most races, this presents a navigational hazard to ships attempting to establish standard orbit, so it's recommended that pilots keep a distance of about 300,000 kilometers. Landing procedures are not recommended.
The planet's atmosphere is comprised of 68% nitrogen, 30% oxygen, 1% carbon dioxide, and 1% assorted gasses.
Geography
Pelagic-class planets are Minshara-type worlds whose surface is comprised of a minimum of 80% surface water. Naturally, under this classification, Szernas has very little actual land mass, with 89% of the planet submerged in the vast ocean.
The single continental land mass is located just south of the equator, featuring vast swaths of mountainous ridges and valleys throughout the eastern side, which resides on a fault line. Small island chains float off the northeastern coast, likely formed as a result of seismic activity.
Climate
With the only land mass on the planet being located so close to the equatorial line, the weather on the northern half of the continent is tropical year-round, averaging 31° Celsius, while the southern half experiences seasonal temperature variations between 10° to 35° Celsius.
The planet's large volume of surface water, combined with the atmosphere's high oxygen content, makes tropical cyclone storm systems particularly frequent and devastating in the northern coastal areas. Lightning strikes have been known to cause fires reaching across large swaths of the continental land mass, and sustained winds from intense storms have been recorded in excess of 400 kilometers (249 miles) per hour.
Population
H'Tarrans are the dominant species on the planet, numbering approximately four billion as of 2382.