World Climates: Climate Classification

Climatology and Climate Controls

Climatology

• Definition: the study of climate, the long-term state of the atmosphere.

Climate Controls

• Solar radiation

• Air masses

• Global wind and pressure belts

• Cyclone belts

• Topography

• Ocean currents

Climate Classification

• Definition: a means of organizing climate information for analysis and communication.

Types of Classifications

• Empirical - based on observable features.

• Applied - outgrowth of, or serves a problem.

• Genetic - based on climate controls.

World Climates (based on Koeppen)

• Tropical Rainforest (Af)

• Tropical Monsoon (Am)

• Tropical Wet/Dry (Aw)

• Tropical Steppe (BS)

• Tropical Desert (BW)

• Dry Summer Subtropical (Csa, Csb)

• Humid Subtropical (Cfa)

• Marine West Coast (Cfb, Cfc)

• Humid Continental (Dfa,Dfb, Dwa, Dwb)

• Midlatitude Desert (BWk)

• Midlatitude Steppe (BSk)

• Subarctic (Dfc, Dfd, Dwc, Dwd)

• Tundra (ET)

• Ice Cap (EF)

• Highland (H)

Climographs are used to visualize temperature (red line graph) and precipitation (blue bar graph) characteristics in the study of climate.

Can you....

• Describe why air masses are an important control over climate?

• Describe how global pressure and wind belts influence climate?

• Describe how ocean currents influence climate?

• Describe how topography influences the distribution of Dlimate in North America and Europe?

• Describe the characteristics of the three different kinds of climate classification systems?

Continue to Global Climates