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The climate is the average weather conditions seen at a particular location. The climate, therefore, can't be observed directly. We need at least 30 years of data to determine the average climate.
A climate diagram is the best way to visualise climate data. The climate diagram shown above is called a Walter Lieth diagram.
On Walter Lieth diagrams 10°C on the temperature scale always correspond to 20 mm of rain on the precipitation scale. In the diagram precipitation (rainfall) is also often shown using one line instead of 12 columns. Arid and humid months can be directly read off.
Arid months are months when the temperature line is higher than the precipitation line. These months are dry. The diagram above has no arid months.
Humid months are months when the precipitation line is higher than the temperature line. All the months on the diagram above are humid.
Climate diagrams can also be shown in different formats, for example, as circle diagrams.
Using the following data, draw your own climate diagram for Barcelona.
Instructions:
- Use graph paper
- First draw the months on the x-axis. Use a scale so that 5 mm represents 1 month.
- Then draw each of the two y-axes:
put temperature on the first y-axis and make 1 cm represent 10°C.
put precipitation on the second y-axis and make 1 cm represent 20 mm rain fall.
- Mark on the temperature data and connect the data together with one red line.
- Mark on the precipitation data and connect the data with one blue line or draw 12 separate blue columns.
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