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On this web site we provide global data, world maps and computer animations of our updated Köppen-Geiger climate classification published by Kottek et al. (2006), Rubel and Kottek (2010) and Rubel et al. (2017).
- Present climate
A huge number of climate studies and subsequent publications...
- Climate shifts
World Map of Köppen-Geiger climate classification projected...
- Maps US
World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification...
- Maps European Alps
Although the European Alps are one of the most investigated...
- Papers by Köppen
In the map of Köppen (1931) the main climate (D) is called...
- Contact
Climate Change and Infectious Diseases Group University of...
- Present climate
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.
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An interactive visual window into our planet's changing climate, based on the most recent measurements and climate model predictions (read the research)
Oct 30, 2018 · We present new global maps of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification at an unprecedented 1-km resolution for the present-day (1980–2016) and for projected future conditions (2071–2100) under...
- Hylke E. Beck, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Tim R. McVicar, Tim R. McVicar, Noemi Vergopolan, Alexis Berg,...
- 2018
Oct 19, 2023 · Learn how the Köppen system divides the world into five climate zones based on temperature and precipitation, and how it relates to vegetation. See maps and examples of the different climate zones and subdivisions.
Download high-resolution maps of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification for historical and future climate conditions based on observation-based and modeled data. Explore the maps using the web app or cite the paper for scientific use.
