Quiz 2 Study Guided Flashcards
3 different classification schemes
aristotle, koppen, thornthwaite
how are we able to classify an area’s climate?
using meteorological, geographical, and biological data (lots of variables)
Aristotle
had 3 different regions
frigid: too cold, thought people couldnt live there
torrid: too hot, again thought pepople couldnt live there
temperature zone
terra australus incognito
the greeks didnt know what was south and thought you couldnt pass from northern to southern hemisphere due to a great wall of flames at the equator
vladimir koppen
made koppen system. was a german botanist. used monthly temp and precip data, coined term “climate classification.”
C. Warren Thornthwaite
american geographer. classification only on physical interaction between local precip and temperature. represents a more precise scheme based on local surface water. good for agriculture
modified koppen
he noticed most climates tend to have a dominant vegetation. two natural vegetaation communities, or biomes, should have the same separation as two climate types. climatologist glenn trewartha updated the koppen system to more accurately represent the climate and biomes. we use this modified koppen system today
koppen identified 5 main groups
A: tropical
B: arid
C: mesothermal\
D: microthermal
E: polar
Later, H: Highlands
A
Tropical climate. warm, variation in precipitation. no winters. humid climates where sun is high in sky. average temp of coldest month is above 18 C. Influenced by ITCZ, rainfall may be plentiful due to ITCZ progression
Example: Hilo, Hawaii
B
Arid Climate. precip is less than evapotranspiration. no surplus of moisture. aridity is defined that wway. concentrated to about 15 n/s to 30 n/s. to determine what subcategory (arid or desert), you need to use equation involving precipitation
Example: Death Valley, California
C
Mesothermal climate. average temp about 10 C during summer while winter is above freezing, 0 C. much of the vegetation stays throughout the year. soils stay moist because of this concept.
Example: San Francisco, California
D
Microthermal climates. average temp about 10 C during summer and coldest month is below freezing, 0 C. interior of continents, east side above 40 n/s. more common in the northern hemisphere bc there isnt much land in the southern hemisphere at this location
Example: Cleveland, Ohio
E
polar climate. areas where no monthly temp is above 10 C. lack of summers, no veg poleward of that boundary. that 10 C isotherm usually corresponds to the arctic or antarctic circle
\
EXAMPLE: ANTARCTICA
H
Highland climates. mountains can throw this system a curveball. colder on mountain tops but they may be in a warm climate. region above the timberline. no month is warmer than 10 C. same as polar climates.
Example: rocky mountains
