Earth has 5 major climate zones — each with its own temperature, rainfall, and seasons that create completely different environments!
Weather is what's happening outside today — sunny, rainy, hot, cold. Climate is the average pattern of weather in a place over 30 or more years. Climate determines which biomes exist where, what crops grow, and how people and animals live. Earth's climate zones are determined primarily by distance from the equator (latitude), distance from the ocean, and elevation.
"Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get." A place's climate tells you to expect snow in January (like Minnesota), while weather tells you it's actually snowing today. Climate is the long-term pattern; weather is the short-term reality. Climate scientists analyze data collected over decades to understand and predict climate patterns.
These five zones — based on the Köppen Climate Classification system — describe the broad climate patterns found across Earth. Each contains several sub-types with more specific characteristics.
In 1884, German-Russian climate scientist Wladimir Köppen created a system to classify Earth's climates based on temperature and precipitation data. He used letters to label each type — for example, "A" for tropical, "B" for dry, "C" for temperate, "D" for continental, and "E" for polar. Within each category are subtypes describing rainfall patterns and seasonal temperature extremes. This system is still used by climate scientists today!
Brazil, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Philippines, Colombia
Sahara Africa, Saudi Arabia, Australian Outback, Gobi Desert, Atacama Chile
Much of USA, Western Europe, eastern China, southeastern Australia, New Zealand
Antarctica, Greenland, northern Alaska, northern Canada, northern Siberia
As Earth's average temperature rises due to climate change, climate zones are gradually shifting. Scientists have observed the edges of the tropics moving toward the poles, and warming is changing where and when rain and snow fall. This affects where crops can grow, which species can survive, where people can live, and how often extreme weather events like droughts, floods, and storms occur. Understanding climate zones is the first step to understanding climate change.
Major climate zones on Earth based on the Köppen classification system
major climate zones in the Köppen system — tropical, dry, temperate, continental and polar
One of the wettest places on Earth — in India — averages about 467 inches of rain per year
Coldest air temperature ever recorded by a weather station — Vostok Station, Antarctica (polar zone)
Scientists often group climates into five main types: tropical, dry, temperate, continental and polar. Tropical places stay above 64°F all year and get lots of rain. Polar places are so cold that their warmest summer days never rise above 50°F.
Weather is what the air is doing in one place over a short time, like today's rain. Climate is the usual pattern of weather in a place, averaged over a long time, usually 30 years or more. A simple way to remember it: climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.
The Koppen system was created by German climate scientist Wladimir Koppen in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It sorts the world's climates using temperature, how much rain falls, when it falls, and latitude. Scientists have updated the Koppen-Geiger world map using modern weather records.
Yes, slowly. NASA studies of satellite data show the tropics have been expanding toward the poles, and scientists link this to a warming climate. Researchers are still working out exactly why and how much.
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