WIP (sort of tutorial to be) : Climates, applying Geoff's Cookbook at detail (some)

[Azélor]

I need to go back at what I said about Cwb/Cwc:

They are indeed different but the simplifications you made abolishes these differences since they fit in the same temperature categories. The only difference is : Cwc is colder (but that should be obvious)
I suggest that you just ignore it.

but here's the details in case your curious:

Cwb
• Average temperature of the 3 coldest months between 0 °C and 18 °C
• Average temperature of the 4 hottest months between 10°C and 22 °C


Cwc:
• Average temperature of the 3 coldest months between 0 °C and 18 °C
• Average temperature of the 3 hottest months between 10°C and 22 °C
• No more than 3 months with average temperature > 10 °C

[Pixie]

I think we are now at the same page, Azelor, concerning simplifications.

At present, Corvus Marinus is in the latest stage of this scheme of work, and ascanius and I are testing it as well with this map.

I also want to further test it with real-earth map in order to compare with real-earth climate zones, but for some reason (the plain fear of realizing that I have it all wrong) I didn't start yet.

Once all this testing and the fine-tuning I am doing with you is completed, this can become a real tutorial (as in a pdf at the tutorials section). Do you agree?

[Azélor]

Yes it would be a great tutorial !

also, you can check here and give me your opinion about my... simplification:
http://www.cartographersguild.com/re...i-hope-so.html

[Azélor]

So, what I think of your climate map now that my document is done... It looks pretty good but the sheer number of elements to consider open some room for choices, and mistakes.

I have some points that I would like to discuss:

1- The eastern hot steppe seems really dry for a place close to the equator that faces the major winds from the ocean. The mountains are not that high, so I think it's too dry, except for the southern tip.

2- The eastern side of the cold highland desert should be really wet, probably the wettest place on the map. Not only have they received water like the nearby tropical forest but also because of the orographic lift. It reminds me of the region near Nepal, north-east India.

3- it’s unlikely that you can have a D climate on that map except maybe on the southern part of the continent (the cold steppe plateau) maybe but not on an island. The climate is much more temperate and less extreme because it’s surrounded by water. It’s probably Cfc

Lastly, like I said to Corvus, Mediterranean climates are close to the sea. they could still be located not too far inland but one of yours if hidden behind a mountain range.


Overall it's pretty good!

[sangi39]

I've been largely inactive for the last two months* but looking at this thread, Azelor's recent thread on Koppen climate zones and the work done by several users regarding tectonics, I might have to restart my work on Yantas. As much as I like the current look, I feel like I kind of rushed the tectonic stage and I never really dealt well with Geoff's climate tutorial.

*I've recently separated from my wife (mutually), moved back in with my mum and brother, blah blah blah) and gotten so tired of doing almost anything (needed to see a counsellor about stuff). Hectic couple of months really

[Naima]

Hi have a question on Climates ...

Are they regulated only by temperature and rainfall? SO can I find a tropical rainforest in northern area if there are right conditions? or an alpine tundra at equator if high enough?

Can elevation altitude be considered for a relative "coldness" and lati

[Azélor]

Yes the Koppen classification mainly use these two to classify the climates. But others might use vegetation or something else to classify.
But rainfall depend on wind direction. this mean that some climates always appear at specific places. For example: Mediterranean climates are always on the west coast near a body of water.

Alpine tundra is still a tundra: The temperature drop by about 5,5°C for each 1000m. So if you consider that the average yearly temperature at the equator is around 25 to 35 °C then altitude would be around 4500m and 6400m or maybe more than that depending on the surroundings. But if it's much higher than that the climate become too cold to be considered a tundra and become land of eternal ice.

[ascanius]

The one thing I'm having trouble understanding is why the majority of rainfall seems to occur during the summer and the dry seasons seem to be during the winter and not the summer. The only thing I can come up with to explain this is that the rain maps are not for summer and winter exactly but for fall and spring. With the summer rain map showing fall and winter shows spring. If this is true than wouldn't this alter how we are getting our climates on the map.

[Azélor]

The one thing I'm having trouble understanding is why the majority of rainfall seems to occur during the summer and the dry seasons seem to be during the winter and not the summer. The only thing I can come up with to explain this is that the rain maps are not for summer and winter exactly but for fall and spring. With the summer rain map showing fall and winter shows spring. If this is true than wouldn't this alter how we are getting our climates on the map.

For different reasons:

areas subject to monsoon receive a lot of rain in the summer. Monsoon always occur in summer because it's the result of high temperature over the land and lower temperature over the sea... This only happens in summer
more or less : Am,Aw, Cfa, Cwa, Cwb, Dwa, Dwb and sometimes: BSh and possibly Af
some of these place like southern USA are not officially recognized as having a monsoon but they have the same precipitation pattern

The other thing to consider is that cold air contain less moisture than hot air = less rain when it's cold. And also less evaporation.

A lot of the temperate climates receive rain all year long. Mainly: Af, Cfb, Cfc, Cfa (sometimes), Dfa, Dfb.




Finally, this may not be the perfect answer but it is probably because not all climates have the same number of season. Some have 4, some have 2, and some have only 1 because there is little variation over the course of the year.

[Naima]

I wonder how coudl Mongolia be a tropical land in the miocene - pliocene , it didn't seem to be that much lower latitude .