Koppen Climate Classification

Koppen Climate Classification Giving a talk some years ago at a convention of bankers in some remote resort in Arizona I showed the Koppen-Geiger map of world climates, and explained in very general terms what the colors represent. The corporation’s president was so taken by this map that he wanted it for his company’s annual report - it would be so useful, he said, in explaining to representatives posted overseas what they might experience in the way of climate and weather. He had, he said, never seen this map, or anything like it; of course he would have if he had taken an introductory geography course. Every textbook has a version of it... - Harm de Blij Various attempts have been made to classify the climates of the earth into climatic regions. One notable, yet ancient and misguided example is that of Aristotles Temperate, Torrid, and Frigid Zones. However, the 20th-century classification developed by German climatologist and amateur botanist Wladimir Koppen (1846-1940) continues to be the authoritative map of the world climates in use today. Origins of the Koppen System Introduced in 1928 as a wall map co-authored with student Rudolph Geiger, the Koppen system of classification was updated and modified by Koppen until his death. Since that time, it has been modified by several geographers. The most common modification of the KÃ ¶ppen system today is that of the late University of Wisconsin geographer Glen Trewartha. The modified Koppen classification uses six letters to divide the world into six major climate regions, based on average annual precipitation, average monthly precipitation, and average monthly temperature: A for Tropical HumidB for DryC for Mild Mid-LatitudeD for Severe Mid-LatitudeE for PolarH for Highland (this classification was added after KÃ ¶ppen created his system) Each category is further divided into sub-categories based on temperature and precipitation. For instance, the U.S. states located along the Gulf of Mexico are designated as Cfa. The C represents the mild mid-latitude category, the second letter f stands for the German word feucht or moist, and the third letter a indicates that the average temperature of the warmest month is above 72Â °F (22Â °C). Thus, Cfa gives us a good indication of the climate of this region, a mild mid-latitude climate with no dry season and a hot summer. Why the Koppen System Works While the Koppen system doesnt take such things as temperature extremes, average cloud cover, number of days with sunshine, or wind into account, its a good representation of our earths climate. With only 24 different subclassifications, grouped into the six categories, the system is easy to comprehend. Koppens system is simply a guide to the general climate of the regions of the planet, the borders do not represent instantaneous shifts in climate but are merely transition zones where climate, and especially weather, can fluctuate.