UNIT TWO: CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION AND REGIONS OF OUR WORLD

Video Lesson

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Define climate
• Discuss the climatic regions of the world classified by ancient Greek.
• Explain the criteria how ancient Greek classify world climate.

Brainstorming Question

Why are there varied climates in the world?

What exactly do you mean when you say “climate classification criteria”?
How did the ancient Greeks categorize the world’s climates?

Key Terms

• Frigid Zone
• Temperate Zone
• Torrid Zone

INTRODUCTION

Dear Online Learner! Climate refers to the average weather conditions in a place over many years (usually at least 30 years). Climate is a multifaceted and abstract notion that contains data on all aspects of the global environment. Understanding Earth’s climates require climate classification to recognize, clarify, and simplify climatic similarities and variations between geographic regions. 

CRITERIA FOR THE CLIMATES CLASSIFICATION

Dear Online Learner! There are criteria used for different types of climate classification, including ancient Greeks, genetic, and empirical (including Köppen’s and Trewartha’s).

The ancient Greeks divided the earth into latitudinal zones based on their perceptions of habitability in particular zones, such as the Frigid Zone, Temperate Zone, and Torrid Zone. They did so by considering temperature and the distribution of sunlight around the earth.

The planet’s Polar Regions, including the Arctic and Antarctic circles, are represented by the Frigid Zone.

The Temperate Zone, which lies between the Torrid and Frigid Zones, is thought to offer the best climate and habitat.

The tropics, or warmer areas south of the Mediterranean Sea, are represented by the Torrid Zone.

The Earth-Sun relationship served as the foundation for ancient Greek climate classification.

According to the data utilized for classification, climate classification methods can be divided into two types: genetic and empiric.

Climate is classified using the genetic method based on the activity and features of air masses, circulation systems, fronts, jet streams, solar radiation, topographic effects, and other factors.

Genetic systems, while more scientifically desirable, are more complex to implement and less successful overall since they do not rely on simple observation. Hence, he most widely utilized genetic systems are air mass ideas.

The empirical classification system is a classification system that uses data input to calculate the climatic type based on specified class boundaries. Köppen and Trewartha’s systems, for example, have the advantage of being simple to deploy in regions with high-quality and abundant climatic data.

The classical period of climatic analysis began in 1970 with the mathematics and distribution of natural vegetation based on the botanist Vladimir Köppen’s climatic classification system.

For world climate classification, the Köppen method typically includes yearly and monthly temperature and precipitation, as well as the seasonality of those variables.

Winds, temperature extremes, precipitation intensity, sunshine quantity, cloud cover, and net radiation are not considered in Köppen’s climatic classification system.

Trewartha’s classification incorporates the fundamentals of both empirical and genetic classification schemes.