Week 2 Reading Material 2

Climate Zones
Background Information for Teachers

Classifying Climate
The Köppen-Geiger classification system is the most commonly used system for
categorizing climates. It divides the world into five main climate groups depending on the
seasonal temperature and precipitation patterns: A (tropical), B (dry), C (temperate), D
(continental) and E (polar). Because it takes into account not only annual temperature
and precipitation patterns but also the annual cycles of both, it is usefully linked to biome
distribution.
Beck, H.E., Zimmermann, N. E., McVicar, T. R., Vergopolan, N., Berg, A., & Wood, E.
F. - "Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km
resolution". Nature Scientific Data. DOI:10.1038/sdata.2018.214. CC BY 4.0
More for Teachers – Climate Zones

A world map showing the countries classified according to Köppen-Geiger classification
but resized according to the population size of the country. This clearly shows which
climate types support the greatest populations.
The climate zones themselves are closely linked to the Global Atmospheric Circulation
(see chapter 4).
For a full definition of the classification system see, for example,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Köppen_climate_classification

Focussing on the 5 main groups with the addition of a Mountain category, the diagram
can be simplified into:
© Crown copyright, Met Office
Tropical
Tropical or Equatorial climates are home to the world's rainforests, where rainfall and
humidity are high. Temperatures are generally 25-35 °C and vary little through the year.
Dry
The dry or arid regions are linked to the High pressure, cloud free belts at the edges of
the Hadley cells. Cold ocean currents can contribute to reduced availability of rainfall.
The temperature range in sub-tropical deserts can be large, regularly exceeding 45 °C by
day in summer and often falling to below freezing overnight in winter.
Mediterranean
Mediterranean climates vary seasonally and are linked to the descending air at the edges
of the Hadley cells in summer and to the westerlies of the Ferrel cells in winter. This
gives hot dry summers and cooler, wetter winters.

Continental
Far from the ameliorating effect of the oceans, continental climates are characteristic of
the interior of large land masses of mid latitudes; the main distinguishing features are
large annual and diurnal ranges of air temperature and low rainfall.
Polar
Linked to the Polar Cell, polar climates can be subdivided into Tundra and ice cap/ frost
depending on whether the mean temperature of the warmest month is above or below
0°C. The Arctic climate is moderated by the relatively warm Atlantic Ocean. In the
Antarctic, the distance from the ocean and a source of water vapour can mean that it is
truly too cold to snow.
Temperate
Temperate climate zones lie between the tropics and the polar circles in the westerlies of
the Ferrel cell. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally
subtle, warm or cool, rather than extreme, burning hot or freezing cold, but all temperate
regions have four distinct seasons. However, a temperate climate can have very highly
variable weather. One day it may be sunny, the next it may be raining. Temperate
climate can have a maritime influence.
Climate Zones and Climate Change
Whereas climate change will not mean that that all the climate zones will simply shift
polewards, they will of course change with a changing climate. Large shifts in the global
distribution of Köppen-Geiger climate zones have been projected by the end of the
century.

Pace of Shifts in Climate Regions Increases with Global Temperature Figure 2, 2013,
Mahlstein et al. DOI: 10.1038/NCLIMATE1876. This graph does not show whether the
location of these climates has shifted over the globe.
A 2013 paper in Nature Climate Change suggested that for the initial 2°C of warming,
about 5% of Earth's land area shifts to a new climate zone. The rate at which climate
zones shift is about the same as the rate at which global temperatures increase – both of
which are projected to become more rapid.
The paper predicted that over the 21st Century
- Frost climates largely decrease
- Some arid regions increase
- A large fraction of land area changes from cool summers to hot summers
- Most northern mid-latitudes and polar latitudes undergo climate zone shifts
- There is less change in tropical regions, except in mountain regions where there
are projected changes in precipitation.
The scientists also suggested that temperature changes have a greater impact on
climate zone changes than precipitation changes.
The lead author, Mahlstein, said "A shift in the climate zone is probably a better measure
of 'reality' for living systems, more so than changing temperature by a degree or
precipitation by a centimetre". As the speed of climate zone shift increases, the ability of
species to adapt reduces and more extinctions can be expected.
Further reading: https://e360.yale.edu/features/redrawing-the-map-how-the-worlds-

climate-zones-are-shifting

Some climate zones – particularly semi-arid ones, have been designated climate change
hot spots. These so-called “hotspots” are areas where strong physical and ecological
effects of climate change come together with large numbers of vulnerable and poor
people and communities.
Making SDGs work for climate change hot spots, Szabo et al, 2016, Sourced from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00139157.2016.1209016?journalCode=venv20&scroll=top&ne
edAccess=true
Sources of Information
Climate data https://en.climate-data.org
Global maps of vegetation and climate https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/global-maps
Full climate graphs and other information for the climate zones may be found at
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/research/library-
and-archive/library/publications/factsheets/factsheet_16-world-climates.pdf

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Climate Zones

Background Information for Teachers

More for Teachers – Climate Zones

More for Teachers – Climate Zones

© Crown copyright, Met Office

More for Teachers – Climate Zones

Climate Zones and Climate Change

More for Teachers – Climate Zones

Further reading: https://e360.yale.edu/features/redrawing-the-map-how-the-worlds-

More for Teachers – Climate Zones

Global maps of vegetation and climate https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/global-maps

More for Teachers – Climate Zones

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