Talk:Köppen climate classification

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Former good article nomineeKöppen climate classification was a good articles nominee, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. There may be suggestions below for improving the article. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake.
Article milestones
DateProcessResult
September 26, 2006Good article nomineeNot listed

Discrepancy Map/Examples

According to the map, Berlin is in Dfb, but is listed as an example of Cfb in the article. There are possibly other such discrepancies. Vilem Liepelt (talk) 11:45, 5 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Well, The map is based on (1980-2016) averages and Berlin's Coldest month avg in that period appeared to be below 0C. This map uses 0C isotherm for C/D borderline if you see the 26th reference(Nature study). Same can be said for Budapest,Bratislava etc.
Berlin's coldest month avg in 1991-2020 normals is above 0C. Therefore it is Cfb and not Dfb. PAper GOL (talk) 15:37, 12 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Recent sockpuppet edits

Recently this article has been edited extensively over several months by User:Paulistafan, who has been blocked as a sockpuppet account of Honduras200010. The edits of that account's many sockpuppets have focused primarily on climate, and many of their edits have been reverted on substantive grounds even before any notice had been given to the fact that they were accounts of a blocked user. Since there have been many intervening edits by other users, it isn't possible simply to roll back to the state before the user's first edit. Please review this account's (and, for that matter, any other of the sockpuppets') edits for reliability and fix as appropriate.

Gwiztiktok is in all likelihood the latest incarnation (and I've submitted that account for investigation). I've undone that user's changes. Please be on the lookout. Largoplazo (talk) 04:02, 2 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Baja California Sur is shown as an independent state.

For whatever reason, the state border between Baja California and Baja California Sur is shown as an international border. Baja California Sur is not an independent state. Erbeilas (talk) 23:46, 30 December 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I dont know what to do about this.
I can only only thank the creators of the map for classifying the climate types of the Caspian sea! PAper GOL (talk) 14:53, 12 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Kabul

This city is both Dsa and BSk somehow. There has not been any action for this so far. PAper GOL (talk) 14:56, 12 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I did the calculation myself. Its Semi-arid. it receives a liitle above 30% of its precip from Apr to Sep.PAper GOL (talk) 06:15, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Lack of sourcing

Just one location among the lists of examples in this article is sourced. A comment in the

routine calculation
, which might be a reasonable justification, I'll point out that, in that case, the factors that go into the calculation need to be sourced. It's OK to take 2 and 2 and sum them to 4 without a source for the 4, but then you still need a source for the 2 and the 2.

Ironically, there's an editor who repeatedly introduces material here and in other climate articles and climate sections who does provide soruces (in the edit summaries), and that editor's contributions are routinely reverted. Sometimes grounds for the reversions are stated in terms of the sources not being reliable (I revert them because the editor is a sockpuppet of a blocked account), but, then, how are examples with no sources at all any better than those?

I've just tagged the article accordingly. Largoplazo (talk) 10:03, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Hi,@Largoplazo
Looks like you are talking about me. Can you summerize the problem?
I hadn't received any answer after 13 days about the Kabul problem.(my bad,maybe should have waited more?) I dont know if there is way to cite sources directly in edit summeries.Most of my additions are based on data from NOAA other official agencies. The calculations I used are mentioned in semi-arid cliamate and desert climate.
Besides, A (more citations needed) template is NOT a minor edit, is it?PAper GOL (talk) 10:33, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Hi, PAper GOL, and welcome to Wikipedia (I see you just started editing this month). Yes, your remark is the one that led to my review of the article and my observation about the lack of sourcing. But I'm not singling you out, my observation is about the overall state of the article, which wouldn't have left you to understand that you should proceed any differently from all the other contributors. I summarized the problem already in my first paragraph—if something wasn't clear, can you tell me what it is? The key to it is the article I linked to, WP:No original research.
If your additions are from NOAA, then you should cite the NOAA sources you're getting them from. See Help:Referencing for beginners.
About the "minor" edit: I, like many users, use various tools that are available on Wikipedia to automate tasks such as tagging pages, nominating them for deletion or raising them for discussion, leaving warnings for users, etc. I use
Help:Minor edits, which lists among reasons not to mark an edit as "minor", "Adding or removing visible tags or other templates in an article". Oh, but wait: In the Exceptions section at the end it says "Additionally, bot accounts usually mark their edits as minor in addition to the 'bot' flag". But Twinkle isn't a bot, and it doesn't mark the edit as a bot-created one. This is a matter to raise at Wikipedia talk:Twinkle. Largoplazo (talk) 10:58, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply
]
Now I see what you mean. Well, the way I calculated the data for Kabul is shown below:
The threshold in millimeters is determined by multiplying the average annual temperature in Celsius by 20, then adding:
(a) 280 if 70% or more of the total precipitation is in the spring and summer months (April–September in the Northern Hemisphere, or October–March in the Southern), or
(b) 140 if 30%–70% of the total precipitation is received during the spring and summer, or
(c) 0 if less than 30% of the total precipitation is received during the spring and summer.
I used the year daily mean figure stated in Kabul's weather box.
[1] (the source for daily mean and monthly precip)
20x 12.1 = 242
the total precipitation is in the spring and summer months (April–September in the Northern Hemisphere, is 105.8 when summed.(with calculator)
Total annual precip is 312.
105.8÷312=0.339(~34% done by calculator)
so I had to add 140 to 242. The result would be 382.
If the annual precipitation is less than 50% of this threshold, the classification is BW (arid: desert climate); if it is in the range of 50%–100% of the threshold, the classification is BS (semi-arid: steppe climate).
312 is in 50%-100% of the threshold(382). That is how I reached the BS.
The calculations are a bit too much for Classifying the type. There is high chance of making a mistake. But its the best the way for me to verify.
Maybe I should write my next summaries in the talk page.
I dont know if that is routine Calc or its WP:OR. PAper GOL (talk) 12:57, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I assume what you are saying is (The data we use to classify the climate type should be referenced). The sources I used are already referenced to a reliable source in their own article and I just need to re-cite them in this article. See this Kabul reference which I copy-pasted from Kabul article's weather box.PAper GOL (talk) 19:41, 25 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

References

  1. ^ "Kabul Climate Normals 1956–1983". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 2023-05-04. Retrieved 30 March 2013.

Long edit war

When I see the page's history I see a long-lasting edit war between two users about adding extra iranian cities to examples list. The user keeps adding them to examples despite all reverts. Isn't it time for a discussion about this issue? Its been several months since the start of this war.PAper GOL (talk) 06:37, 26 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Just as I thought the added Iranian cities were removed. Sina.azadi will probably re-add them in the following weeks and this cycle continues. And the user showed he is not willing to discuss this issue at all. PAper GOL (talk) 05:13, 1 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I've personally left a message several months ago on Sina.azadi's talk page about why the Iranian cities were removed. I've stated numerous times we do not need more than three cities from a single nation under a single climate category. If you look further up this talk page, you can see why we're limiting examples to three per nation. He or she have elected to ignore the messages. This may be a language barrier issue, or it may just be the user electing to ignore the messages. We may need to employ more stringent measures...or we could just remove all examples from the article. G. Capo (talk) 22:41, 3 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Maybe (s)he is one of those users who did not understand the (three for each nation) thing.
Whether we need these example lists or not is something needing its own topic. I think All wars and protections in this page is because of example lists.PAper GOL (talk) 10:31, 6 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Letter H

Some E group examples have ETH and EFH climates. It seems that the H letter is for highland locations but no explanation is provided for it. Are there any reliable sources for these classes?PAper GOL (talk) 03:45, 9 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I found no sources that would use ETH/EFH. Those used for creating maps dont use them either. They were removed. PAper GOL (talk) 13:09, 14 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I also got problem with locations that can be Df or Ds. One example is Urmia that is classified Dfa but has 3 or 4 dry summer months that make it viable for Dsa. It receives 39% of its precipitation in the high-sun half. Mostly in spring — Preceding unsigned comment added by PAper GOL (talkcontribs) 13:36, 11 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The hot/cold arid situation

I have brought it up before, and I'm bringing it up again; is there anyone with sources on this? I have only seen a 0C isotherm be used for cold/hot deserts once, and only for California. I'm not sure why these are consistently being added. Uness232 (talk) 23:22, 13 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

There are some sources in overview section where you forgot to edit. Maybe they help you. If they didn't you can remove.PAper GOL (talk) 12:13, 14 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I have another problem regarding Cw/Dw climates' ALTERNATIVE defintion (at least 70% of annual precip falling in high-sun half). This one is also totally unsourced. Then we have this EFH thing used in this article without mentioning what H actually means.PAper GOL (talk) 12:22, 14 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]
The sources there are for BWn, not for h/k. If you can not find a source for Cw/Dw, delete it too. Uness232 (talk) 12:24, 14 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]
See Talk:Semi-arid climate for previous discussions.PAper GOL (talk) 04:57, 11 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Math parse error

In the

Overview section, there is a math parse error. It reads "Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "http://localhost:6011/en.wikipedia.org/v1/":): {\textstyle 100-\left ( \frac{\mathrm{Total\,Annual\,Precipitation\,(mm)}}{25} \right )}". I don't know how to fix it. Can someone help? TypoEater (talk) 17:42, 27 September 2023 (UTC)[reply
]

Relevance of including German words for the different climates?

The Köppen-Geiger classification was initially created in part by a Russian-German person, and without knowing the German terms for the various climates, the letters (especially for the B subtypes) seem nonsensical. Would it be well advised of me to add these in an etymological section, or would that be original research (of which I have been tried and convicted many times)? Ellenor2000 (talk) 07:01, 2 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

If you cite a reliable source, then it isn't original research. Surely you've been told that before, no? In this case you can go right to the Urquelle: [1], p. C14. And it's certainly relevant. Largoplazo (talk) 10:46, 2 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Dispute over at Talk:Budapest

Regarding its climate classification per Köppen. I call interested editors to chime in. Uness232 (talk) 16:54, 9 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I reiterate this request; there needs to be more of a discussion and a consensus on this, as it in fact touches on much more general concerns. Uness232 (talk) 16:38, 11 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

RfC: Generalizing climate type descriptions when classification systems conflict

Are more general descriptions of climates acceptable on city/region climate sections if climate classification systems conflict?

Three options come to mind here:

  • Option 1: Climate descriptions should not be generalized, even when classifications conflict. This leads to the structure given below being the only acceptable description:

Budapest has a humid subtropical (Köppen: Cfa) or oceanic (Trewartha: Doa) climate.

  • Option 2a: Climate descriptions could be generalized, but this should be kept to cases where intractable disputes form due to wording and/or climate type (see Talk:Budapest#Climate for example); therefore the structure given below would also be acceptable in certain circumstances:

Budapest has a humid temperate climate (Köppen: Cfa, Trewartha: Doa).1

  • Option 2b: Much like 2a, but without the dispute requirement. Climate types could be generalized at will as long as climate classifications conflict.


1 Keep in mind that both Köppen and Trewartha place Budapest into a climate class within the scope of a humid temperate climate (humid subtropical and oceanic respectively). For some cities, the category might need to be broader; Portland, Oregon would simply have a temperate climate under this scheme, as that is the first level of intersection between Mediterranean and oceanic climates. Despite this, within the rules of Köppen and Trewartha, a point of no overlap is mathematically impossible; and it is vanishingly rare to see another classification besides these two on a city page.

Uness232 (talk) 00:27, 21 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Comments

In the Budapest example we can call it simply temperate as Group C of Köppen is accepted to be temperate. Cfa is mostly considered humid subtropical but not all sources agree on that, but they all agree that Cfa is a temperate climate subtype. It is just a matter of proper wording and writing if the statement is likely to be

WP:SYNTH.PAper GOL (talk) 09:07, 21 January 2024 (UTC)[reply
]

Though synth problem might occur when two or more classifications are used, in which option 1 would be better but still we can use a broader term for subtypes as in option 2a. example:
In Köppen climate classification, Portland(Oregon) has a temperate climate classified as Csb, while under Trewartha classification Portland’s climate is classified as Do.PAper GOL (talk) 09:27, 21 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
"Though synth problem might occur when two or more classifications are used," Well this is specifically for instances where two (there's very rarely any more than two) classifications are used. Are you saying that
WP:SYNTH
problems would arise then? If so would that not invalidate your argument for the usage of 2a?
A lot more simply, your argument looks like it contradicts itself here; could you explain what you mean? Uness232 (talk) 10:50, 21 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I’m slightly towards 2a, because for locations and regions which borderline classifications cause confusion or dispute, it’s better to use more general terms
There won’t be synth problems (it might occur but only if the text is written in bad manner). .PAper GOL (talk) 11:15, 21 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I see what you mean. So you only think that it would only be
WP:SYNTH if the proper general name is not used (i.e. if a Csb/Do climate is labeled as oceanic). That makes sense, thank you for the explanation. Uness232 (talk) 11:39, 21 January 2024 (UTC)[reply
]
  • Option 1 - anything else falls too close to
    WP:SYNTH
    or potentially even cherry picking. If there's ambiguity, we should report the ambiguity, rather than pick whichever we like more, even when it comes to something as mundane as the weather..
DarmaniLink (talk) 08:36, 19 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@
WP:SYNTH
, but I think you misunderstand what this is about. Perhaps this is just the complexity of the issue, but no option would involve picking "what we like more". As I've told someone else in a previous comment:
Let's look at Portland again for example: Köppen labels it Csb, and Trewartha labels it Do. However, Köppen's C class is explicitly named "temperate", and Trewartha's D class is explicitly named "temperate". Therefore both climate classifications explicitly call the city temperate; [calling the city temperate] is [therefore] not a synthesis of information "not stated by either source", as both the sources explicitly call the city temperate.
Again, this might not change your opinion that it is
WP:SYNTH as you might think that for another reason; but I did want to offer this as a clarification on this admittedly complicated issue. Uness232 (talk) 13:53, 19 February 2024 (UTC)[reply
]
admittedly, i should have worded that better but, in cases where the two are different, picking one or the other would be a matter of preference, right? Not every single instance, i'd imagine, as as clearcut as those two. Of course I'm no expert either, and im willing to learn DarmaniLink (talk) 14:16, 19 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@DarmaniLink It is important to note here that there are only two systematic climate classifications used on Wikipedia, Köppen and Trewartha. This is because other climate classifications do not have sufficient sourcing, or are genetic (boiling down to climatologist opinion, and therefore always mentioned separately). Based on the rules of Köppen and Trewartha, a zone of no overlap is vanishingly rare. Because of the similarity of the two classification's rules, even differences in classification are only possible in a limited amount of circumstances, and all of these (except one rare case that I have realized recently, but would not be a problem) have points of overlap:
And finally, the issue that could arise (but is unlikely to for numerous reasons):
  • I've recently remembered that the semi-arid climate thresholds are ever-so-slightly different. This could cause a point of no overlap in a very small amount of places, and the solution there is simple, to not simplify, and talk about the two classifications seperately. Either way, this is unlikely to cause problems, as the climates that lead to arguments for simplification are almost always in point 2 and 3.
Uness232 (talk) 16:08, 19 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Wouldn't this still just cause the same problems as before though, possibly, of people arguing whether or not a definition applies or if you can reasonably believe that the intersection in some cases can be described as such?
It seems like you would need to put a source on "temperate" for example.
Would it be feasible to make a template to algorithmically generate the intersection, along with a source for that intersection, that can be decided on prior? DarmaniLink (talk) 13:52, 20 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@
WP:COMMONNAMEs. Even subtypes can go uncited sometimes due to uncontroversial naming; see Beijing, Paris, Barcelona as examples. Except for a few subtypes (principally Cfa, which is quite controversially called humid subtropical
), the most common names of these climate types in these classifications are very rarely disputed due to usages dating back to the original papers. All of the solutions that could be applied here are therefore widely agreed upon.
Furthermore, this solution was not meant to be an idealistic one but a band-aid of sorts; the problems I've encountered while arguing about these things being twofold:
1) Sometimes local
WP:FRINGE. For example, showing many local sources, editors have argued for the removal of "humid subtropical" from Budapest, because sources calling it continental based on some local classification far outnumbered those using Köppen. However, using local classifications on Wikipedia is also untenable, as long as all the pages for climate types are based on Köppen (I have attempted to change the status quo on this
, to no avail). As I've said before:
What will we do when Portland, Oregon has an oceanic climate according to local literature, but the climate page says that oceanic climates need to not have dry summers?
Therefore, the solution currently reached at Budapest#Climate has been the only one that ended up being stable.
2) The few subtypes that can have name disputes (humid subtropical for Cfa, Mediterranean for Csb) almost always have their disputes brought up in transitional locations (due to the lack of zone fluidity in climate classification). Therefore, generalizing climate type (as long as we have another systematic classification to back the generalization) can solve those problems as well, as there are no disputes on main types.
As for the template idea, I am unfortunately not experienced enough in the creation of templates to know whether that would be feasible, but it would be great; not just for calming discussions, but for standardizing and beautifying format. Uness232 (talk) 00:00, 23 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 13 March 2024

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a
"change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Shadow311 (talk) 16:13, 13 March 2024 (UTC)[reply
]

Köppen-Geiger Map 1991-2020 now available in Commons

1991-2020 is the official current base periode (WMO), so I suggest we should switch to the updated map now in Commons for this article. And there are some real differences in climate zones compared to the current map, which is not updated any longer. Orcaborealis (talk) 19:20, 19 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Orcaborealis I agree. The 1981-2016 maps are also used in many country maps and those should also be changed to newer versions, which would require a concerted effort. I would suggest alerting some WikiProjects.
As a further note, there are also the predicted climate maps, which are problematic in their own right as they assume the rather extreme
RCP3.4 is the most likely) as we now future maps for a wide variety of RCP scenarios. Uness232 (talk) 03:38, 20 April 2024 (UTC)[reply
]