Study Finds Significant Shifts in Earth’s Climatic Zones
by RP Siegel
A scientific report published last month in the journal Nature reveals the fact that our planet has already experienced measurable changes in its very makeup as the result of anthropogenic climate change. Authors Duo Chan & Qigang Wu, both of Nanjing University, looked at the distribution of land area among the major Köppen climate classes. These classes, which were introduced in 1928, divide the Earth into five climatic regions, based on precipitation and temperature. These classes are: Tropical humid (A), Dry (B), Mild mid-latitude (C), Severe mid-latitude (D), and Polar (E). Some versions include a sixth, Highland (H), which was added by Geiger, a student of Köppen’s. A total of 24 sub-classifications further refine the order. For example, category D is sub-divided into eight different flavors of sub-arctic and humid continental regions that range from places like Cleveland, Ohio across Canada, Alaska. Russia, and northern Europe, some with hot summers, some with dry seasons, and so on.
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RP Siegel, author and inventor, shines a powerful light on numerous environmental and technological topics. He has been published in business and technical journals and has written three books. His third, co-authored with Roger Saillant, is Vapor Trails, an eco-thriller that is being adapted for the big screen. RP is a professional engineer – and a prolific inventor, with 50 patents, numerous awards, and several commercial products. He is president of Rain Mountain LLC and is an active environmental advocate in his hometown of Rochester, N.Y. In addition to Justmeans, he writes for Triple Pundit, ThomasNet News, and Energy Viewpoints, occasionally contributing to Mechanical Engineering, Strategy + Business, and Huffington Post.
