Köppen-Geiger climate classification

Climate zones serve to group together regions across the globe that share similar climatological conditions. The best-known of these classification systems was established by Wladimir Peter Köppen and subsequently refined by Rudolf Geiger. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification divides the Earth into five distinct zones - equatorial (A), arid (B), warm temperate (C), snow (D), and polar (E) - which can be further subdivided and are designated by a three-letter code.

Calculating Mean Monthly Values ​​for Vienna

As is often the case with climatological analyses, raw measurement data cannot be used directly. For an accurate assessment, the data must first be averaged over an extended period. For this example, a 30-year period (1991–2020) from the Vienna-Hohe Warte station serves as the basis.

Since the Köppen-Geiger climate classification relies primarily on monthly mean temperatures and monthly precipitation totals, the following parameters are downloaded on a monthly basis from the GeoSphere Austria DataHub:
- t ... Daily mean air temperature [°C]
- R ... Monthly total precipitation [mm]

Averaging Results

The mean values ​​calculated for the various parameters over the 30-year period from January 1991 to December 2020 are listed in Table 1.1.

The average annual precipitation is Rsum = 674.4 mm, and the average annual temperature is Tmean = 11.0 °C.

Appendix / Images

Table 1.1: Monthly mean values ​​of temperature and precipitation for the Vienna-Hohe Warte station, based on monthly data from the years 1991 to 2020.
Table 1.1: Monthly mean values ​​of temperature and precipitation for the Vienna-Hohe Warte station, based on monthly data from the years 1991 to 2020.

Classification of the Vienna-Hohe Warte Station – Part 1

The Köppen-Geiger climate classification serves as the basis for this chapter. As outlined by Kottek et al. [2006], the classification comprises five climate zones. The definitions underlying these climate zones can be found in Table 2.1 and Table 2.2, respectively.

For the basic classification of the station, only the following parameters are required; these are derived from the data in Table 1.1 (see Stage 1):

  • mean annual temperature:
    • Tann = 11.0 °C
  • mean temperature of the coldest month:
    • Tmin = 0.8 °C
  • mean temperature of the warmest month:
    • Tmax = 21.4 °C
  • total annual precipitation:
    • Pann = 674.4 mm
  • aridity parameter:
    • Pth = 36.0 mm

Using the definitions from Table 2.2, the climate zone can now be determined. The Vienna-Hohe Warte station meets only the criterion for zone C. Consequently, it is classified as having a warm-temperate climate.

Appendix / Images

Table 2.1: Definitions of climate zones according to Köppen & Geiger (Kottek et al., [2006]).
Table 2.1: Definitions of climate zones according to Köppen & Geiger (Kottek et al., [2006]).
Table 2.2: Definition of the aridity parameter (Kottek et al., [2006]).
Table 2.2: Definition of the aridity parameter (Kottek et al., [2006]).

Subdivision into subcategories

The basic climate zones can be further subdivided into subcategories based on temperature and precipitation. The definitions for this are also provided in Table 2.1 and Table 3.1.

For Zone C, the further subdivision is based initially on the following precipitation parameters:

  • minimum and maximum total precipitation during the summer half-year (May–October):
    • Psmin = 47.1 mm
    • Psmax = 79.0 mm
  • minimum and maximum total precipitation during the winter half-year (November–April):
    • Pwmin = 38.1 mm
    • Pwmax = 51.6 mm

Furthermore, classification is based on the following temperature parameters:

  • annual average temperature:
    • Tann = 11.0 °C
  • monthly mean temperatures:
    • Tmon (see Table 1.1)
  • mean temperature of the coldest month:
    • Tmin = 0.8 °C

Based on the definitions in Table 2.1 and Table 3.1, the Vienna Hohe Warte station is assigned to subcategories f and b, respectively. The full designation of the climate zone is therefore Cfb – Warm temperate climate, fully humid with warm summers.

Appendix / Images

Table 3.1: Definitions of the subcategories for climate zones B (h & k), C and D (a–d) (Kottek et al., [2006]).
Table 3.1: Definitions of the subcategories for climate zones B (h & k), C and D (a–d) (Kottek et al., [2006]).

Datasets

Messstationen Monatsdaten v1
API-DOKU Web-UI

Dieser Datensatz beinhaltet Monatswerte einer Vielzahl meteorologischer bzw. klimatologischer Parameter. Für alle Klima-Beobachtungstermine ist der Monatsmittelwert der entsprechenden Größen angegeben. Die drei Klima-Beobachtungstermine (I, II,...

Temperature, Humidity, Radiation, Wind, Precipitation, Cloud cover, Pressure, Snow, Sunshine, Visibility, Observed weather phenomena, Thunderstorm