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.[1] These are useful tools to quickly describe a location's climate.

Climograph of Calcutta.

Representation
Tucson, AZ
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
0.9
 
 
64
39
 
 
0.7
 
 
68
41
 
 
0.7
 
 
73
45
 
 
0.3
 
 
81
50
 
 
0.2
 
 
90
58
 
 
0.2
 
 
100
68
 
 
2.4
 
 
99
74
 
 
2.2
 
 
97
72
 
 
1.7
 
 
93
68
 
 
1.1
 
 
84
57
 
 
0.7
 
 
73
46
 
 
1.1
 
 
64
40
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source:

One form of representation uses an overlapped combination of a bar and line chart used to show the climate of a place over a 12-month period. The horizontal axis (x-axis) displays the 12 months while the vertical axis contains the precipitation scale on one side and the temperature scale on the other.

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.

Use

The patterns in a climograph describe not just a location's climate but also provide evidence for that climate's relative location. For example, a climograph with a narrow range in temperature over the year might represent a location close to the equator, or alternatively a location adjacent to a large body of water exerting a moderating effect on the temperature range. Meanwhile, a wide range in annual temperature might suggest the opposite. We could also derive information about a site's ecological conditions through a climograph. For example, if precipitation is consistently low year-round, we might suggest the location reflects a desert; if there is a noticeable seasonal pattern to the precipitation, we might suggest the location experiences a monsoon season. When combining the temperature and precipitation patterns together, we have even better clues as to the local conditions. Despite this, it is important to note that a number of local factors contribute to the patterns observed in a particular place; therefore, a climograph is not a foolproof tool that captures all the geographic variation that might exist.

References
  1. Banks, James A. (1997). United States: Adventures in time and place. Macmillan. p. 242. ISBN 978-0021466153.


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