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Tropical climate

A hot, humid climate group with two seasons and small temperature ranges.

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Tropical climate

Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0

The Köppen climate classification defines a tropical climate as any region where the coldest month's mean temperature is at least 18 °C and which does not meet criteria for B-group climates.[1] These A-group regions are typically found within 23.5 degrees latitude of the equator, including areas in Central America, central Africa, and parts of Australia.[1] In tropical regions, the year is typically divided into just a wet season and a dry season, and the temperature does not vary much from month to month.[2]

Quick Facts

Classification group
A-group (tropical climate group)
Defining temperature
Mean temperature of coldest month ≥ 18 °C (64 °F)
Typical latitude range
Below 23.5° in both hemispheres
Subtypes
  • Tropical rainforest (Af)
  • tropical monsoon (Am)
  • tropical savanna (Aw/As)

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

For a tropical rainforest climate, the driest month's precipitation must be 60 mm or greater.[3] A tropical savanna climate has a driest-month precipitation below (100 minus mean annual precipitation divided by 25).[3] The WorldAtlas account notes that tropical savanna climates are also called tropical wet and dry climates and lie between 10° and 25° north-south latitudes.[4][5] The Blue Planet Biomes site states that the savanna climate has a temperature range of 20° to 30° C and an annual precipitation of 100 to 150 cm.[6]

Tropical rainforest climates usually occur within 5-10 degrees of the equator, with average yearly temperatures between 21 and 30 °C.[7] The amount of precipitation in the driest month is what sets these three subtypes apart.[3] For a tropical monsoon climate, the precipitation in the driest month must fall within a range that goes from (100 minus the mean annual precipitation in mm divided by 25) up to 60 mm.[3] A short dry season, which almost always happens in winter, is a feature of the tropical monsoon climate, and this climate is common in south and southeast Asia.[8]

What the research sources say

The WorldAtlas article describes the tropical savanna climate as having alternating dry and wet seasons, with mean monthly temperatures above 18 °C throughout the year.[4] During the wet season, temperatures range between 25 and 30 °C, while in the dry period they range between 20 and 25 °C.[4] The Blue Planet Biomes account notes that in the Australian savanna, the Köppen classification is Aw and the average precipitation per year is around 20 to 40 inches.[6] The KDE Santa Barbara page explains that savannas can result from climate changes, soil conditions, animal behavior, or agricultural practices.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Tropical climate" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Köppen Climate Classification: Auxiliary Programs — EnergyPlus 9.4"; Kottek, "World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated", Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 2006-07-10, p. 259–263; "World Maps of Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification", Climate Change & Infectious Diseases Group, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Tropical climate" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "epiphyte Definition, Adaptations, Examples, & Facts", Britannica (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Tropical climate" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kottek, "World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated", Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 2006-07-10, p. 259–263 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. "What Are The Characteristics Of A Tropical Savanna Type Of Climate?", WorldAtlas, 22 January 2018. facts only, no text reused. worldatlas.com
  5. Wikipedia, "Tropical climate" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "What Are The Characteristics Of A Tropical Savanna Type Of Climate?", WorldAtlas, 22 January 2018; "Blue Planet Biomes - Savanna Climate", www.blueplanetbiomes.org (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. "Blue Planet Biomes - Savanna Climate", www.blueplanetbiomes.org. facts only, no text reused. blueplanetbiomes.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Tropical climate" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Köppen Climate Classification System", National Geographic Society, 2019-10-24; McKnight, "Physical geography : a landscape appreciation", Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Prentice Hall, 2000; "Tropical Rainforest Biomes of the World"; "Tropical Rainforest Biome - Tropical Moist Climates (Af) The Tropical Climate The Köppen Climate Classification System Resources", ISC-Audubon; "Tropical Rainforest Biomes of the World"; "Tropical Rainforest Biome - Tropical Moist Climates (Af) The Tropical Climate The Köppen Climate Classification System Re en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Tropical climate" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate meteorology", Encyclopedia Britannica (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "KDE Santa Barbara", kids.nceas.ucsb.edu. facts only, no text reused. kids.nceas.ucsb.edu

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Tropical climate (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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