High Resolution Köppen-Geiger Climate Zones of Türkiye

Abstract

The Köppen-Geiger (K-G) climate classification is the most commonly used climate classification method in the world, and there are many K-G climate classification studies focusing on Türkiye using different datasets. However, the differences in the datasets used in these studies lead to substantial differences and errors in K-G climate zone maps. The differences and disagreements in these maps also cause significant discrepancies in climate studies. In this respect, accurate identification of climate classes and types is very important for understanding the distribution of climate types and for many climate-based studies to achieve accurate results. In this study, the K-G climate types of Türkiye and the regime characteristics of these climate types were determined using the CHELSA dataset corrected based on the measurements of 337 meteorological stations. According to the results that were obtained, 14 climate types were identified in Türkiye. Since the CHELSA dataset reflected topographic conditions well, many microclimates were identified within broad areas of climate types. The distribution of the microclimate types was compared to the distribution of the vegetation, and the accuracy of the results was evaluated. Apart from microclimates, other prominent features of this study were the co-occurrence of multiple climate types in a limited area in the Eastern Black Sea Region and the detection of the EF climate type for the first time at the summit of Mount Ararat. Climate types vary according to altitude conditions, and temperature changes due to altitude are an important factor in the formation of climate sub-types within the same main climate type in Türkiye.