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The Köppen climate classification divides climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (arid), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar).
- Overview
- System
•The Köppen classification subdivides terrestrial climates into five major types, represented by the capital letters A, B, C, D, and E.
•Type B climates are defined by dryness; all others are defined by temperature.
•Type A climates focus on the seasonality of their precipitation.
•Type E climates are separated into tundra (ET) and snow/ice climates (EF).
•The midlatitude C and D climates are given a second letter, f (no dry season), w (winter dry), or s (summer dry), and a third symbol, a, b, c, or d (the last subclass exists only for D climates), indicating summer warmth or winter coldness.
•The H climate (highlands), which Köppen did not use, is sometimes added to other classifications to account for elevations above 1,500 metres (about 4,900 feet).
Köppen’s classification is based on a subdivision of terrestrial climates into five major types, which are represented by the capital letters A, B, C, D, and E. Each of these climate types except for B is defined by temperature criteria. Type B designates climates in which the controlling factor on vegetation is dryness (rather than coldness). Aridity is not a matter of precipitation alone but is defined by the relationship between the precipitation input to the soil in which the plants grow and the evaporative losses. Since evaporation is difficult to evaluate and is not a conventional measurement at meteorological stations, Köppen was forced to substitute a formula that identifies aridity in terms of a temperature-precipitation index (that is, evaporation is assumed to be controlled by temperature). Dry climates are divided into arid (BW) and semiarid (BS) subtypes, and each may be differentiated further by adding a third code, h for warm and k for cold.
As noted above, temperature defines the other four major climate types. These are subdivided, with additional letters again used to designate the various subtypes. Type A climates (the warmest) are differentiated on the basis of the seasonality of precipitation: Af (no dry season), Am (short dry season), or Aw (winter dry season). Type E climates (the coldest) are conventionally separated into tundra (ET) and snow/ice climates (EF). The mid-latitude C and D climates are given a second letter, f (no dry season), w (winter dry), or s (summer dry), and a third symbol (a, b, c, or d [the last subclass exists only for D climates]), indicating the warmth of the summer or the coldness of the winter. Although Köppen’s classification did not consider the uniqueness of highland climate regions, the highland climate category, or H climate, is sometimes added to climate classification systems to account for elevations above 1,500 metres (about 4,900 feet).
The Köppen classification has been criticized on many grounds. It has been argued that extreme events, such as a periodic drought or an unusual cold spell, are just as significant in controlling vegetation distributions as the mean conditions upon which Köppen’s scheme is based. It also has been pointed out that factors other than those used in the classification, such as sunshine and wind, are important to vegetation. Moreover, it has been contended that natural vegetation can respond only slowly to environmental change, so that the vegetation zones observable today are in part adjusted to past climates. Many critics have drawn attention to the rather poor correspondence between the Köppen zones and the observed vegetation distribution in many areas of the world. In spite of these and other limitations, the Köppen system remains the most popular climatic classification in use today.
Britannica Quiz
Oct 19, 2023 · The Köppen climate classification system categorizes climate zones throughout the world based on local vegetation. Wladimir Köppen, a German botanist and climatologist, first developed this system at the end of the 19th century, basing it on the earlier biome research conducted by scientists.
Explore global data, maps and animations of the updated Köppen-Geiger climate classification, a system based on temperature and precipitation. Learn about the history and development of climate classifications from the original papers and maps by Wladimir Köppen and Rudolf Geiger.
The most common system used to classify climatic zones is the Köppen classification system. This system is based on the temperature, amount of precipitation, and the year when precipitation occurs. Since climate determines the type of vegetation that grows in an area, vegetation is often used as an indicator of climate type.
Oct 30, 2018 · The Köppen-Geiger system classifies climate into five main classes and 30 sub-types. The classification is based on threshold values and seasonality of monthly air temperature and...
Download new global maps of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification at a high 1-km resolution for historical and future climate conditions (1901–2099) based on observation-based and downscaled climate projections. The maps are based on 67 climate models and 42 with the most plausible CO2-induced warming rates, and include a legend file with the climate symbols and color scheme.
