World Climates Kppen Climate Classification System Best known

World Climates Köppen Climate Classification System • Best known and most commonly used climate classification system. • Classification based upon mean monthly temperature, mean monthly precipitation, annual temperature values, annual precipitation values

• The Köppen system has five principal groups: 1) humid tropical climates 2) humid mid-latitude climates 3) dry climates 4) polar climates 5) highland climates All of these are based on temperature except the dry climates which are classified by the amount of precipitation that falls over an area.

Humid Tropical Climates Hu • These are climates without winters. m W C, itho pr ut ec wi ip. nte Ab rs ov , m e ea 20 n 0 Ta cm b o id Tr o pi ca l ve 18 • Every month has a mean temperature above 18°C (64°F). • The amount of precipitation can be above 200 cm.

Humid Tropical Climates WET TROPICAL • High temperatures year round • Much annual precipitation year round • Equatorial rain belt Tropical rainforest TROPICAL WET AND DRY • Also have high temperatures and much annual precipitation BUT • Distinct periods of low precipitation Savanna, tropical grasslands with droughtresistant trees

Tropical Rainforest African savanna

Humid Mid-Latitude Climates 1. Humid Mid. Latitude with Mild Winters Hum i d M id. L a t i t ude 2. Humid Mid. Latitude with Severe Winters

Humid Mid-Latitude Climates Hum i d M id. L a t i t ude • Climates with mild winters have an average temperature in the coldest month that is below 18°C but above – 3°C • Climates with severe winters have an average temperature in the coldest month that is below – 3°C

Humid Mid-Latitude with Mild Winters 1. 2. 3. Humid subtropical climates Marine West Coast climates Dry-summer subtropical climates

Humid Mid-Latitude with Mild Winters 1. A humid subtropical climate is generally located between 25° and 40° latitude on the eastern side of a continent and is characterized by hot, sultry summers and cool winters. Southeastern US states, SE China

Humid Mid-Latitude with Mild Winters 2. A marine west coast climate is found on windward coasts from latitudes 40° to 65° and is dominated by maritime air masses and ample year round rainfall. Winters are mild, and summers are cool. Pacific Northwest Coast

Humid Mid-Latitude with Mild Winters 3. A dry-summer subtropical (or Mediterranean) climate is a climate located on the west sides of continents between 30° and 45 latitude. It is the only humid climate with a strong winter precipitation maximum. California coast, SW Australia coast

Humid Mid-Latitude with Severe Winters 1. Humid continental climates 2. Subarctic climates

Humid Mid-Latitude with Severe Winters HUMID CONTINENTAL • Only in the Northern Hemisphere, between 40° and 50° north latitude • Winters are severe while summers are quite warm • Precipitation is greater in summer than in winter Great Lakes region, NE China SUBARCTIC • Winters are long and bitterly cold while summers are very warm but very short • Highest annual temperature ranges on Earth • Taiga or boreal forests Western Alaska to northern Canada, from Norway across Russia

Humid Mid-Latitude with Severe Winters Humid Continental Subarctic

Dry Climates • A dry climate is one in which the yearly precipitation is not as great as the potential loss of water by evaporation. • That is, evaporation (a function of temperature), is more important than precipitation. • Associated with areas of global high pressure and rain shadow deserts Dry

Dry Climates ARID OR DESERT SEMI-ARID OR STEPPE • Dry climate with permanently low rainfall (not temporary drought) • Temperatures can be very hot but also very cold Sahara, Atacama, Sonoran, Simpson, Namib, Kalahari Deserts Gobi Desert and the Great Basin are rain shadow deserts • A marginal and more humid variant of desert • A transition zone between desert and humid climates, surrounds deserts Most of New Mexico, including Hobbs

Kalahari, Africa Sonoran, Arizona and Mexico Mongolia, steppe Great Basin, Nevada Gobi, China Simpson, Australia Atacama, Chile Great Plains, US

• Polar climates are those in which the mean temperature of the warmest month is below 10 o. C. • Since winters are near to complete darkness, temperatures are extremely cold. • Summers are cool due to low solar angle • Both precipitation and evaporation are limited ar l o P Polar Climates

Polar Climates TUNDRA • Treeless region in the Northern Hemisphere with shrubs, lichen, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, grasses, and 400 varieties of flowers North slope of Alaska, Nunavut in Canada (Baffin Island), northern Eurasia, edges of Greenland ICE CAP Monthly mean temperatures below freezing (0° C) Little vegetation, permanent ice and snow Greenland, Antarctica

Tundra Ice caps in Greenland Antarctica

Highland Climates • Highland climates are caused by elevation and topography, found in mountains and high plateaus • Highland climates share the same seasons and wet and dry periods of the surrounding climate zone • In general, highland climates are cooler and wetter than nearby areas at lower elevations. d H lan h ig

Himalayas Tibetan Plateau Karakorams Mt. Shasta Alps Andes Mt. Kilimanjaro Mt. Fuji