2.1.1.1. Major Climate Classifications: key features
| Classification system | Data needs | Distinguishing features | Application domain |
| Kõppen-Geiger (1928) | Annual and monthly mean temperature and precipitation (P) | 5 major climate types (A, B, C, D, E climates) | Global: ecological studies, understanding climate-vegetation relationships. |
| Holdridge Life Zones System (1947; 1967) | Mean annual precipitation, biotemperature, latitude and altitude | ‘Biotemperature’ concept; triangular life zone chart with zone identified by location on axes Biotemperature,annual precipitation and PET | Global; ecological and forestry studies, understanding vegetation distributions, environmental and conservation planning |
| Thornthwaite (1948) | Monthly temperature, precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET) calculated according to the Thornthwaite formula | Monthly waterbalance, ‘Moisture Index’ concept | Eastern United States; Useful for water resource management, agricultural planning, and understanding soil moisture conditions |
| Emberger (1952) | Annual precipitation, monthly min. and max. temperature | ‘Pluviothermic quotient’ concept | Mediterranean, semi-arid, and arid regions; ecological studies; vegetation distribution |
| Bagnouls and Gaussen (1956) | Monthly temperature and precipitation | ‘Ombrothermic index’ and ‘Ombrothermic diagram’ concepts | Mediterranean, semi-arid and subtropical regions; suitable plant seasons and crop selection |
| Papadakis (1970) | Monthly temperature, precipitation and PET (estimated from saturated vapour pressure) | Very large number of complex classes. Criteria may overlap and lead to ambiguous classifications | Global, agricultural climatology, particularly for determining crop suitability zones |
| UNESCO classification of Arid Zones (1979) | Annual aridity index (P/PET), seasonal mean temperature | Climate differentiation based on moisture regime, winter and summer types | Dryland climates, land degradation studies, desertification research, dryland agricultural planning |
| FAO’s Agroecological Zones (AEZ) system (1978-2021) | Fine-scale (at least monthly) precipitation, temperature and PET data | Climate data integrated in complex model, using growing period concept, waterbalance calculations | Global, agricultural planning, potential crop yields and land-use suitability assessments |
| Le Houérou (1993) | Annual precipitation and PET | Aridity index | Arid and semi-arid regions; range management and desertification studies |
References
- Emberger, M. 1952. Sur le quotient pluviométrique. C.R.Ac.Sc. 191, 389-390.
- FAO. 1978. Report on the Agro-ecological Zones Project. Vol.1 Methodology and results for Africa. FAO World Soil Resources Report 48, 158 pp.
- Gaussen, H. and Bagnouls, F. 1952. L’indice xérothermique. Bulletin de l’Association de Géographes Français, 222-223, pp. 10-16.
- Holdridge, L.R. 1947. Determination of plant world formations from simple climatic data. Science. 105 (2727): 367–368.
- Köppen W. and Geiger H. (1928). Handbuch der Klimatkunde. Berlin, Germany
- Le Houérou, H.N., Popov G.F. and See L. 1993. Agro-bioclimatic classification of Africa. FAO Agrometeorology Series No.6, Remote Sensing Center, Research and Technology Development Division, Food and Agriculture Organization, 228 pp.
- Papadakis J. 1970. Climates of the World. Their classification, similitudes, differences and geographic distribution. Published by the author, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 47 pp.
- Thornthwaite, C. 1948. An approach towards a rational classification of climate. Geogr.Rev., 38, 5595.
- UNESCO, 1979. Map of the world distribution of arid regions. Map at scale 1:25,000,000 with explanatory note. UNESCO, Paris, 54 pp. ISBN 92-3-101484-6