8 Climate classification

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(8) Climate classification

• Scales of climate
• Why we classify
• Approaches to classification
• The Köppen classification system

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Scales of climate
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Climate varies on all scales
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Climate classification

• Why?

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Climate classification

• Empiric
• Look at natural patterns of vegetation, etc. and
  attempt to classify climate variables accordingly
• Genetic
• Look at climate variables in and of themselves

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Genetic classification Air masses
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Empiric classification Köppen

• Köppen looked at the worldwide distribution of
  different plant and animal species and attempted
  to see how weather variables correlated with
  these patterns.

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Climate ClassificationWhich variables to use?

• Temperature
• Precipitation

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Köppen climate classification

• Five primary categories
• A Tropical
• B Dry
• C Mesothermal
• D Microthermal
• E Polar

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B climates

• Precipitation does not meet the needs of
  evaporation
• BW (Desert) Precipitation is less than half of
  what would be evaporated
• BS (Steppe) Precipitation is more than half but
  less than what would be evaporated

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A climates

• Mean temperature of coldest month is above 18C
  (64F)
• Essentially, no freezes
• Tropical Rainy no dry season
• Tropical Wet-and-Dry short dry season
• Tropical Monsoon long dry season
• How would these relate latitudinally?

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C climates

• Coldest month is between -3C and 18C warmest
  month above 10C.
• Essentially, it freezes but snow is not
  permanently on the ground in winter.
• Mediterranean dry summer
• Wet-and-dry dry winter
• Humid no dry season

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D climates

• Coldest month is less than -3C warmest month
  above 10C.
• Essentially, where snow remains on the ground for
  part of the winter.
• Wet-and-dry dry winter
• Humid no dry season

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E climates

• Warmest month below 10C.
• Essentially, where its too cold for trees to
  grow
• Tundra it thaws in summer
• Ice Cap it doesnt

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H climates

• Highland climates are where elevation has created
  a very significantly varying climate over a short
  distance.

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Climate classification problems

• No definite boundaries
• Does homogeneous Ohio really include 2 of the
  worlds 5 climate zones?
• Means dont necessarily determine the extent of a
  species
• Means vs. Extremes
• Dosage