Spatial_Synoptic_Classification_system

⭐ In the context of Climate, the Bergeron and Spatial Synoptic Classification systems are distinguished from other systems like Köppen and Thornthwaite by their primary focus on:

Unlike systems that rely on temperature, precipitation, or evapotranspiration, the Bergeron and Spatial Synoptic Classification systems prioritize understanding the source and movement of air masses to determine a region's climate characteristics.

⭐ Core Definition: Spatial Synoptic Classification system

Based upon the Bergeron air mass classification scheme is the Spatial Synoptic Classification system, or SSC. There are six categories within the SSC scheme: Dry Polar (similar to continental polar), Dry Moderate (similar to maritime superior), Dry Tropical (similar to continental tropical), Moist Polar (similar to maritime polar), Moist Moderate (a hybrid between maritime polar and maritime tropical), and Moist Tropical (similar to maritime tropical, maritime monsoon, or maritime equatorial).

The SSC was originally created in the 1950s to improve weather forecasting, and by the 1970s was a widely accepted classification system for climatologists. The initial iteration of the SSC had a major limitation: it could only classify weather types during summer and winter season.

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👉 Spatial Synoptic Classification system in the context of Climate

Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorological variables that are commonly measured are temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, and precipitation. In a broader sense, climate is the state of the components of the climate system, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere and biosphere and the interactions between them. The climate of a location is affected by its latitude, longitude, terrain, altitude, land use and nearby water bodies and their currents.

Climates can be classified according to the average and typical variables, most commonly temperature and precipitation. The most widely used classification scheme is the Köppen climate classification. The Thornthwaite system, in use since 1948, incorporates evapotranspiration along with temperature and precipitation information and is used in studying biological diversity and how climate change affects it. The major classifications in Thornthwaite's climate classification are microthermal, mesothermal, and megathermal. Finally, the Bergeron and Spatial Synoptic Classification systems focus on the origin of air masses that define the climate of a region.

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