7-Climate Classification and Biomes

Selva

A forested region in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia

Desert biome

A large, dry, barren region, usually having sandy or rocky soil and little or no vegetation.

Forest biome

Area with a large number of trees

B climates

Arid climates - characterized by actual precipitation less than a threshold value set equal to the potential evapotranspiration.

D climates

Continental climates - These climates have an average temperature above 10 °C (50 °F) in their warmest months, and a coldest month average below −3 °C (or 0 °C in some versions, as noted previously). These usually occur in the interiors of continents and on their upper east coasts, normally north of 40°N.

Conifer trees

Fir, Spruce, Cedar or Arborvitae trees

H climates

It contains all highland areas not easily categorized by other climate types. It is abbreviated H in the Köppen-Geiger-Pohl system.

Grassland biome

Land biome characterized by moderate rainfall, fields of grasses, and few trees

Ice Cap

Permanent ice and snow; no plant life

E climates

Polar climates - defined as the warmest temperature of any month is below 10 °C (50 °F).

Mediterranean

Summers are longer than winter, and the winter is very mild. Very few places experience snow

C climates

Temperate climates - defined as having an average temperature above -3 C (26.6 F) (or 0 °C in some versions, as noted previously) in their coldest month but below 18 C (64.4 F). The average temperature of -3 C roughly coincides with the equatorward limit of frozen ground and snowcover lasting for a month or more.

Deciduous trees

Trees that shed their leaves and grow new ones each year

A climates

Tropical climates - characterized by constant high temperatures (at sea level and low elevations); all 12 months of the year have average temperatures of 18°C (64.4 °F) or higher.

Tropical Monsoon

Tropical monsoon climates have monthly mean temperatures above 18 °C (64.4 °F) in every month of the year and feature wet and dry seasons, as Tropical savanna climates do.

Desert

a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life.

Subarctic

a climate characterised by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers.

Climograph

a graphical representation of basic climatic parameters, that is monthly average temperature and precipitation, at a certain location. It is used for a quick-view of the climate of a location.

Steppe

a large area of flat unforested grassland in southeastern Europe or Siberia

Tropical Savannah

a rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees, which can be found between a tropical rainforest and desert biome.

Tundra

a vast treeless plain in the arctic regions between the ice cap and the tree line

Humid Subtropical

a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents, generally between latitudes 25° and 35° and are located poleward from adjacent tropical climates. While many subtropical climates tend to be located at or near coastal locations, in some cases they extend inland, most notably in China and the United States.

Marine (West Coast)

climate typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, and generally features cool summers (relative to their latitude) and cool winters, with a relatively narrow annual temperature range and few extremes of temperature, with the exception for transitional areas to continental, subarctic and highland climates.

Chaparral biome

desert climate with flat plains, rocky hills and mountain slopes

Savanna biome

grassland with scattered trees and shrubs found on edge of tropical rain forest

Humid Continental

large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters.

Tropical Rainforest

rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season - all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm

Koppen climate classification system

the most widely used system for classifying the world's climates. Its categories are based on the annual and monthly averages of temperature and precipitation.

Xerophytic vegetation

vegetation adapted to arid climates