Climograph A climograph is 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.
What is a climograph?
A climograph, or climate graph, is a time-based graph that presents a location's average temperature and precipitation. The time scale, typically given on the horizontal axis, is usually over a year and is divided into months. The precipitation is on one side the vertical axis, denoted by inches.
Are climographs reliable for planning activities?
While climographs are useful for inferring information related to a region's physical characteristics, they may not be the most accurate or reliable source for planning activities daily. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
What is the best way to represent temperature in a climograph?
Representation. 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.
Does a climograph show precipitation and temperature data for specific times of day?
A climograph does not show measured temperature and precipitation data for specific times of the day, such as sunrise, mid-afternoon, and sunset when the highest and lowest temperatures of the day are typically experienced.
How do you read a climograph?
To read a climograph, place a finger on the label of the desired month, which is most often found on the bottom horizontal axis of the graph. To fi...
What does the line represent on a climograph?
Most often, a plotted line is used to denote the average temperature of a location during a specific month of the year. In some instances, no plott...
How do scientists use Climatographs?
Scientists use climographs to gain a general understanding of a location's climate on a monthly basis over the course of a year.. Climograph reader...
What are the advantages of Climograph?
Climographs are advantageous because they allow a reader or analyst to make inferences about a region's economic opportunities, vegetation and wild...
What is a Climograph and why is it important?
A climograph is a visual representation of a location or region's physical characteristics. They are important because they help to describe the av...
What is a Climograph?
The physical and geographical characteristics of a region can often be used to describe the people who live there and events that take place locally.
How to Read a Climograph?
By examining the climograph from the previous section, readers will understand that the average monthly temperature is displayed as a red line with plotted points and the average precipitation for each month of the year is represented by green bars.
Climograph Example
Examining multiple climographs during the course of study is the best approach to understanding how climographs function and how they can be read.
What is a climograph?
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.
Can a climograph show the average temperature?
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.
Characteristics of a climate chart
In scientific terminology it is more correct to call this type of graph as ombrothermal diagram. This is because "ombro" means rain and thermal temperature. However, for society in general it is called a climogram. The most important variables to describe a climate are rainfall and temperatures.
Used tools
Most climate charts use the Gaussen aridity index. This index considers that there is a certain level of aridity when the average of the temperatures is greater than twice the average of the precipitations.
Added information
We can add much more information to the climate charts if we wish. For example, adding more information can help us to know the climatic conditions that plants have to endure. This becomes very useful when contributing to agriculture.
Comment of a climogram
When we see the climate chart of an area, commenting on it and interpreting it is simple. The first thing we have to look at is the precipitation curve. That is where we indicate the total rainfall and its distribution throughout the year and month. In addition, we can find out what the maximum and minimum levels have been.
Mediterranean Climograph
Our Mediterranean climate has average rainfall values and annual temperatures. These values are represented in the climate graph to get an idea of the data each year. It is mainly characterized by having low rainfall values in general throughout the year.
Equatorial climate graph
On the other hand, if we analyze the climate of an equatorial zone, we find different data. Precipitation values are high throughout the year, as is the temperature. You can observe maximum rainfall of more than 300mm and the temperature is maintained stable throughout the year around 25 ° C.
Tropical climate
In this case we find a climate of abundant rainfall, with maximums that are reached in the month of June and July. These rain peaks are due to the characteristic rains of this climate: the monsoons. During the summer monsoons take place that leave behind high levels of precipitation.
What is a climatogram?
Follow Us: A climatogram is graph chart that displays only the rainfall and temperature of a given area. A climatogram is a measure of the general climate of a large ecosystem, also known as a biome. A climatogram is a bar graph with a double-Y axis that plots temperate and rainfall amounts over time. The climatogram provides a fast and simple ...
What are climatograms? What are their functions?
While many other factors contribute to the overall climate of a particular biome, climatograms are simple to create and reveal long-term climate trends in an easy to understand manner. Climatograms are also indicators of what types of plant and animal life are suited to a given biome.
What are the major biomes classified by climatograms?
Some of the major biomes classified by climatograms include, deserts, forests, grasslands and tundra. These biomes have readily identifiable climatograms that reflect the characteristic precipitation amounts and temperatures of each one. ADVERTISEMENT.
