Koeppen Scheme of Classification of World Climate
The Köppen climate classification system is one of the most common and efficient systems in the world. It is mainly used for classifying the climate into five groups. The division is based on the temperature, precipitation, and local vegetation. There are five groups in this classification tropical, dry, mild, continental, and polar. Each group is further divided into different climate types. Each group and subgroup is represented by a letter. Let us discuss this in detail.
- The first letter of the classification indicates the climate group, and the second letter indicates the season.
- Type A climates focus on the seasonality of their precipitation.
- The Köppen classification also includes midlatitude C and D climates.
- These climates are given a second letter, which can be f, w, or s. F indicates no dry season, w indicates winter dry, and s indicates summer dry.
- The Köppen classification also includes a third symbol, which can be a, b, c, or d.
- The last subclass only exists for D climates and indicates summer warmth or winter coldness.
Climate Category
The Koeppen climate classification system recognizes five major climatic types and each type is designated by a capital letter- A, B, C, D, E, and H.
| Group | Type | Letter code | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-Tropical Humid Climate | Tropical Wet Tropical Monsoon Tropical wet and dry | Af Am Aw | No dry season Monsoonal, Short dry season Winter dry season |
| B-Dry Climate | Subtropical Steppe Subtropical Desert Mid-latitude Steppe Mid-latitude Desert | BSh BWh BSk BWk | Low-latitude semi-arid or dry Low-latitude arid or dry Mid-latitude semi-arid or dry Mid-latitude arid or dry |
| C-Warm temperate Climates | Humid subtropical Mediterranean Marine west coast | Cfa Cs Cfb | No dry season Dry hot summer No dry season, warm and cool summer |
| D-Cold Snow-forest Climates | Humid Continental Subarctic | Df Dw | No dry season, severe winter Winter dry and very severe |
| E-Cold climates | Tundra Polar ice cap | ET EF | No true summer Perennial ice |
| H-highland | Highland | H | Highland with snow cover |
Season Type
The Köppen climate classification system divides climates into five main groups based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns.
| Season Type | Description |
|---|---|
| f | No dry season |
| m | Monsoon climate |
| w | Winter dry season |
| s | Summer dry season |
Temperature Severity
The Köppen climate classification system uses different temperature severity. It helps to indicate the severity of the winter. The small letters a, b, c, and d represent the level of heat. The second letter of the system indicates the seasonal precipitation type, and the third letter indicates the level of heat.
| Temperature Severity | Description |
|---|---|
| a | Hot |
| b | Warm |
| c | Cool |
| d | Cold |
World Climate and Climate Change| Class 11 Geography Notes
The world climate is a broad system that can be influenced by different factors including changes in the composition of the atmosphere, solar radiation, ocean currents, greenhouse gases, human-made pollution, and related activities. Koeppen described the close connection between the climate distribution and the vegetation present on Earth. The classification helps us to understand the climate of the Earth with a set of data of the monthly and annual averages of precipitation and temperature of a specific location.
In this article, we are going to discuss the World Climate and Climate Change in detail.
World Climate and Climate Change| Class 11 Chapter 11