Earth:Climograph

Short description: Graphical representation of a location's climate

Climograph of Calcutta.

A climograph is a graphical representation of a location's basic climate. Climographs display data for two variables: (a) monthly average temperature and (b) monthly average precipitation. These are useful tools to quickly describe a location's climate.

Representation

Tucson, AZ
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Template:Climate chart/fahrenheit column i Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: [1]
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Template:Climate chart/celsius column i Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

While temperature is typically visualized using a line, some climographs opt to visualize the data using a bar. This method's advantage allows the climograph to display the average range in temperature (average minimum and average maximum temperatures) rather than a simple monthly average.

Use

The patterns in a climograph describe not just a location's climate but also provide evidence for that climate's relative geographical location. For example, a climograph with a narrow range in temperature over the year might represent a location close to the equator, or alternatively a location adjacent to a large body of water exerting a moderating effect on the temperature range. Meanwhile, a wide range in annual temperature might suggest the opposite. We could also derive information about a site's ecological conditions through a climograph. For example, if precipitation is consistently low year-round, we might suggest the location reflects a desert; if there is a noticeable seasonal pattern to the precipitation, we might suggest the location experiences a monsoon season. When combining the temperature and precipitation patterns together, we have even better clues as to the local conditions. Despite this, a number of local factors contribute to the patterns observed in a particular place; therefore, a climograph is not a foolproof tool that captures all the geographic variation that might exist.

External links

• "How to make a Climograph". Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20110724160124/http://www.kyrene.org/staff/ldemos/Launch/India/Climographs/climographs.pdf. 
• https://climatecharts.net/ - Webapplication for generating climographs for places worldwide dynamically.
• ClimateCharts.net an interactive climate analysis web platform https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2020.1829112 (Open Access)
• https://climate.mapresso.com/ - Web application for generating climate diagrams for any location on Earth using the free high-resolution CHELSA dataset.