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Go to the Web: |
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| Monthly climate data,
examples from U.S. climate regions. Click on the graphs below to view larger images of
temperatures & precipitation data |
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| A: Key West |
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| B: Albuquerque |
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| C: New
Orleans |
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| D: Flint |
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| E: Barrow |
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| F: Blue Canyon |
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Graphs from U.S. Interactive Climate Pages
NOAA- CIRES Climate Diagnostic Center |
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Climate regions
- Climate regions can be identified as areas with similar
climates
- The Koppen-Geiger classification system recognizes six climate
regions: Tropical (A), Dry (B), Mesothermal (C), Microthermal (D), Polar (E), and Highland
(H)
- The classification system is based upon variations in
temperature and precipitation
- Five of the six climate regions can be identified in the lower
48 States
 reas with
consistent climates are grouped together in climate regions. Climate influences ecosystems,
communities of plants and animals; therefore specific associations of organisms
characterize many climate regions.
The Koppen-Geiger classification system, named after two climatologists, divides
the globe into climate regions using average monthly temperatures, average monthly
precipitation, and total annual precipitation values. The classification recognized six
climate regions, each denoted by a letter.
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Relationship between climate regions,
geographic location and precipitation. One climate region, Highland (H) characterized by
high elevations, is not illustrated. |
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- Letter
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- Name
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- Characteristics
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- A
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- Tropical
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- Wet, hot equatorial regions, ~third of earth’s surface.
Monthly average temperature above 18oC (64oF). U.S. example, Key
West, Florida.
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- B
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- Dry
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- Arid and semi-arid deserts and steppes; evaporation exceeds
precipitation. U.S. example: Albuquerque, New Mexico (annual precipitation, 22 cm [8.9
inches]).
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- C
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- Mesothermal
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- Humid sub-tropical, may have dry summers. Warmest month above
10oC (50oF); coldest month above 0oC (32oF)
but below 18oC (64oF). U.S. example, New Orleans, Louisiana.
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- D
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- Microthermal
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- Humid climate with long winters, mild summers. Warmest month
above 10oC (50oF); coldest month below 0oC (32oF).
U.S. example, Flint, Michigan.
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- E
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- Polar
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- No true summer, warmest month average temperatures below 10oC
(50oF); always cold. U.S. example, Barrow, northern Alaska.
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- H
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- Highland
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- Lower temperatures and more precipitation. U.S. example, Blue
Canyon, Sierra Nevada, California (annual precipitation, 170 cm [68 inches]).
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Further divisions of the classification system are identified by adding
lower case letters. For example Af designates tropical rain forest; Am
is tropical monsoon with a marked dry season of one or more months; Aw is
tropical savanna with a winter dry season. For the purposes of the Good Earth we will
identify only the six classes above.
Five of the six climate regions can be identified in the lower 48 states with the dry
(B) and mesothermal (C), and microthermal (D) climate classes covering the largest areas.
Where would we look within the U.S. to find an example of the missing climate region?
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A simplified map of the main climate regions
of the U.S. |
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