Bureau
of Meteorology Climate Classification
Indigenous
culture has developed by regarding all things past and present, including
the weather, as interrelated. However, Europeans have generally
tried to classify climate more discretely by the:
-
geometry of the earth and sun: the ancient Greek scholar Aristotle
divides the earth's climate into zones according to the sun's
elevation.
-
connections between climate and vegetation: Köppen (1918)
chooses climate boundaries with a combination of natural landscape
features and aspects of the human experience in mind.
-
annual water budget: Thornthwaite (1931) groups climates according
to precipitation and evaporation.
-
processes that cause climate: Strahler (1969) relates climates
to the air masses that produce them.
The
Bureau of Meteorology classification modifies Köppen's
scheme, dividing some Köppen climates, and combining other
Köppen climates, in order to better reflect human experience.
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 Map
1
The key climate groups |
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 Map
2
Subdivisions within the key climate groups |
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