CLIMATE
Climate is commonly defined as the weather averaged over a long period. The standard averaging
period is 30 years, but other periods may be used depending on the purpose. Climate also includes
statistics other than the average, such as the magnitudes of day-to-day or year-to-year variations.
Climate classification
There are several ways to classify climates into similar regimes. Originally, climes were defined
in Ancient Greece to describe the weather depending upon a location's latitude. Modern climate
classification methods can be broadly divided into genetic methods, which focus on the causes of
climate, and empiric methods, which focus on the effects of climate. Examples of genetic
classification include methods based on the relative frequency of different air mass types or
locations within synoptic weather disturbances. Examples of empiric classifications include
climate zones defined by plant hardiness,[10] evapotranspiration,[11] or more generally the Köppen
climate classification which was originally designed to identify the climates associated with certain
biomes. A common shortcoming of these classification schemes is that they produce distinct
boundaries between the zones they define, rather than the gradual transition of climate properties
more common in nature.
Bergeron and Spatial Synoptic
The simplest classification is that involving air masses. The Bergeron classification is the most
widely accepted form of air mass classification. Air mass classification involves three letters. The
first letter describes its moisture properties, with c used for continental air masses (dry) and m for
maritime air masses (moist). The second letter describes the thermal characteristic of its source
region: T for tropical, P for polar, A for Arctic or Antarctic, M for monsoon, E for equatorial, and
S for superior air (dry air formed by significant downward motion in the atmosphere). The third
letter is used to designate the stability of the atmosphere. If the air mass is colder than the ground
below it, it is labeled k. If the air mass is warmer than the ground below it, it is labeled w While
air mass identification was originally used in weather forecasting during the 1950s, climatologists
began to establish synoptic climatologies based on this idea in 1973.
Based upon the Bergeron classification scheme is the Spatial Synoptic Classification system
(SSC). There are six categories within the SSC scheme: Dry Polar (similar to continental polar),
Dry Moderate (similar to maritime superior), Dry Tropical (similar to continental tropical), Moist
Polar (similar to maritime polar), Moist Moderate (a hybrid between maritime polar and maritime
tropical), and Moist Tropical (similar to maritime tropical, maritime monsoon, or maritime
equatorial).
Köppen
The Köppen classification depends on average monthly values of temperature and precipitation.
The most commonly used form of the Köppen classification has five primary types labeled A
through E. These primary types are A, tropical; B, dry; C, mild mid-latitude; D, cold mid-latitude;
and E, polar. The five primary classifications can be further divided into secondary classifications
such as rain forest, monsoon, tropical savanna, humid subtropical, humid continental, oceanic
climate, Mediterranean climate, steppe, subarctic climate, tundra, polar ice cap, and desert.
Rain forests are characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual
rainfall between 1,750 millimetres (69 in) and 2,000 millimetres (79 in). Mean monthly
temperatures exceed 18 °C (64 °F) during all months of the year.
A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months, ushering in a region's
rainy season Regions within North America, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia and
East Asia are monsoon regimes.
A tropical savanna is a grassland biome located in semiarid to semi-humid climate regions of
subtropical and tropical latitudes, with average temperatures remain at or above 18 °C (64 °F) year
round and rainfall between 750 millimetres (30 in) and 1,270 millimetres (50 in) a year. They are
widespread on Africa, and are found in India, the northern parts of South America, Malaysia, and
Australia
The humid subtropical climate zone where winter rainfall (and sometimes snowfall) is associated
with large storms that the westerlies steer from west to east. Most summer rainfall occurs during
thunderstorms and from occasional tropical cyclones. Humid subtropical climates lie on the east
side continents, roughly between latitudes 20° and 40° degrees away from the equator.
A humid continental climate is marked by variable weather patterns and a large seasonal
temperature variance. Places with more than three months of average daily temperatures above 10
°C (50 °F) and a coldest month temperature below −3 °C (27 °F) and which do not meet the criteria
for an arid or semiarid climate, are classified as continental
An oceanic climate is typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of all the world's
continents, and in southeastern Australia, and is accompanied by plentiful precipitation year round.
The Mediterranean climate regime resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin,
parts of western North America, parts of Western and South Australia, in southwestern South
Africa and in parts of central Chile. The climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool,
wet winters
A steppe is a dry grassland with an annual temperature range in the summer of up to 40 °C (104 °F)
and during the winter down to −40 °C (−40 °F).
A subarctic climate has little precipitation, and monthly temperatures which are above 10 °C
(50 °F) for one to three months of the year, with permafrost in large parts of the area due to the
cold winters. Winters within subarctic climates usually include up to six months of temperatures
averaging below 0 °C (32 °F).
Tundra occurs in the far Northern Hemisphere, north of the taiga belt, including vast areas of
northern Russia and Canada.
A polar ice cap, or polar ice sheet, is a high-latitude region of a planet or moon that is covered in
ice. Ice caps form because high-latitude regions receive less energy as solar radiation from the sun
than equatorial regions, resulting in lower surface temperatures.
A desert is a landscape form or region that receives very little precipitation. Deserts usually have
a large diurnal and seasonal temperature range, with high or low, depending on location daytime
temperatures (in summer up to 45 °C or 113 °F, and low nighttime temperatures (in winter down
to 0 °C or 32 °F due to extremely low humidity. Many deserts are formed by rain shadows, as
mountains block the path of moisture and precipitation to the desert.
Thornthwaite
Devised by the American climatologist and geographer C. W. Thornthwaite, this climate
classification method monitors the soil water budget using evapotranspiration. It monitors the
portion of total precipitation used to nourish vegetation over a certain area. It uses indices such as
a humidity index and an aridity index to determine an area's moisture regime based upon its
average temperature, average rainfall, and average vegetation type The lower the value of the index
in any given area, the drier the area is.
The moisture classification includes climatic classes with descriptors such as hyperhumid, humid,
subhumid, subarid, semi-arid (values of −20 to −40), and arid (values below −40) Humid regions
experience more precipitation than evaporation each year, while arid regions experience greater
evaporation than precipitation on an annual basis. A total of 33 percent of the Earth's landmass is
considered either arid of semi-arid, including southwest North America, southwest South America,
most of northern and a small part of southern Africa, southwest and portions of eastern Asia, as
well as much of Australia. Studies suggest that precipitation effectiveness (PE) within the
Thornthwaite moisture index is overestimated in the summer and underestimated in the winter.
This index can be effectively used to determine the number of herbivore and mammal species
numbers within a given area. The index is also used in studies of climate change.
Thermal classifications within the Thornthwaite scheme include microthermal, mesothermal, and
megathermal regimes. A microthermal climate is one of low annual mean temperatures, generally
between 0 °C (32 °F) and 14 °C (57 °F) which experiences short summers and has a potential
evaporation between 14 centimetres (5.5 in) and 43 centimetres (17 in) A mesothermal climate
lacks persistent heat or persistent cold, with potential evaporation between 57 centimetres (22 in)
and 114 centimetres (45 in) A megathermal climate is one with persistent high temperatures and
abundant rainfall, with potential annual evaporation in excess of 114 centimetres (45 in).