Michael Pidwirny
LABORATORY 5: CLASSIFICATION OF GLOBAL CLIMATES
LEARNING GOALS
In this laboratory, we will examine the classification of climates for places found on our planet.
Upon completion of this laboratory you will be able to:
- Use the Köppen Climate Classification system to categorize the climates of places.
- Understand the climatic factors responsible for the types of climates located on our planet.
- Recognize climatic similarities between spatially isolated locations found on the Earth.
INTRODUCTION
Climate can be defined as the long-term trends observed in the state of the weather (temperature, precipitation, humidity, etc.) on a time-scale of years to decades. Understanding these trends allows us to make predictions about what the weather may be like in the immediate future. Several systems have been developed for classifying the climates of locations found on our planet. The classification of data is a common process in all sciences. From the classification process, we can determine similarities and dissimilarities in the data. The classification process also helps us to identify patterns in data that are usually controlled by other factors. In terms of the climate of locations found on the Earth, we will discover that locations with comparable climates are often influenced by similar climatic factors despite being geographically separated by great distances.
The Köppen Climate Classification system is an empirical system that uses readily available precipitation and temperature data collected at weather stations. For the classification process, the data must be arranged as monthly totals of precipitation, monthly temperatures, annual total of precipitation, and annual temperature. Monthly temperature is calculated by first determining the daily means for all days in the month by finding the average of daily maximum and daily minimum temperatures. All of the daily means are then added together and then divided by a value equal to the number of days in that particular month. Finally, monthly and annual temperature and precipitation data should be averaged over a number of consecutive years. This averaging evens out the natural variation normally found in climate data.
TROPICAL MOIST CLIMATES – “A” CLIMATES
Tropical moist climates extend northward and southward from the equator to about 15 to 25° of latitude. In these climates, all months have average temperatures greater than 18°Celsius. Annual precipitation is often greater than 1500 mm. Three minor Köppen climate types exist in the A group. These three categories of tropical moist climate are distinguished by the seasonal distribution of rainfall.
Af – Tropical Wet
Af or tropical wet (also called tropical rainforest) is a tropical climate where precipitation occurs all year long. Monthly temperature variations in this climate are usually less than 3°Celsius (C). Because of intense surface heating and high humidity, cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds (thunderstorms) form early in th