Climate Classification - METC 331 Exam 3 pt. 1

Clima-ata

the slope of the earth from equator pole

Who created Clima-ata and what year

Barnhardt, 1957

Goals of classification schemes

Minimize within group availability, maxmize between group variability

The greek 5 climate zone is based on

logic only, no wx

Greek 5 climate zones

torrid zone, temperate zone, frigid zone

torrid zone

tropics, uninhabitable

Temperate zone

only habitable zone

Frigid zone

arctic/antartic uninhabitable, too cold

Who created the greek 5 zones

Parmenides

The Thornwaite system was created in ___ and revised in ___

1931, 1948

First major component of thornwaite climate classification

Interactions between energy and availiable mositure

second major component of thornwaite climate classification

Moisture index (MI)

How to calculate moisture index

MI = 100 - (S-D) / PE

Third major component of thornwaite climate classification

Thermal efficiency index

Thermal efficiency index is based on

T > 0 C - energy available for plant growth

Thermal efficiency index equation

T/ET

Additional components of thornwaite climate classification

Additional components: dryness index, season w/ moisture deficit or surplus, summer thermal efficiency, summer PE, annual PE

Thornwaite pros

excellent for agriculture, excellent for h20 resource management, good for climate modeling. recognizes seasonal precip. variations

Thornwaite cons

Complex, 32x more climates than Koppen, data often not available, evap. data fifficult to obtain, not greate in tropical and semi arid places

Thornwaite is good for

hydrology

Koppen is good for

General climatology, metc.

6 major groups of Koppen

A-tropical, B-Arid, C-mesothermal (mid lat mild), D-Microthermal (mid lat cold), E-Polar, H-Highland