Question

As per Koppen’s classification of climate, which one of the following is the suitable description of North-East India including North Bengal?
A) Tropical monsoon rainforest (Amw)
B) Sub-tropical monsoon rainforest (Am)
C) Tropical wet and dry climate (Monsoon Savannah) (Aw)
D) Humid subtropical climate with dry winter (Cwg)

Answer 1

Hint: The Köppen climate categorization is one of the most widely used climate categorization systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, and it was also modified by Köppen, notably in 1918 and 1936.

Complete answer:
The Köppen climate classification divides climates into five important climate groups and each group is divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (dry), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). Each climate group and subgroup is represented by a letter.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Tropical monsoon rainforest (Amw): This option is incorrect as the tropical monsoon rainforest has a type of climate that result from the monsoon winds which change direction according to the seasons and thus, North-East India doesn't experience this kind of climate. This climate has a driest month (which nearly always occurs at or soon after the "winter" solstice for that side of the equator) with rainfall less than 60 mm.

Option B) Sub-tropical monsoon rainforest (Am): This option is incorrect as the sub-tropical monsoon climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year and thus, the North-East India doesn't experience this kind of climate.

Option C) Tropical wet and dry climate (Monsoon Savannah) (Aw): This option is incorrect as the tropical wet and dry climate is characterized by distinct wet and dry seasons, with most of the precipitation occurring in the high-sun (“summer”) season and thus, the North-East India doesn't experience this kind of climate.

Option D) Humid subtropical climate with dry winter (Cwg): This option is correct as ‘humid subtropical climate with dry winter (Cwg)’ in North-East India including North Bengal is influenced by from the southwest and northeast monsoons. Lying very close to the Tropics, North-East India displays, to a large extent, the character of tropical climate, especially in the valleys. The region has a monsoon climate with heavy to very heavy rains, confined within four summer months from June to September.

So, Humid subtropical climate with dry winter (Cwg) is the correct answer. As per Koppen’s classification of climate, Humid subtropical climate with dry winter (Cwg) is the climate of North-East India including North Bengal.

Therefore the correct answer is ‘D’.

Note: The Köppen climate classification depends on the experimental connection among environment and vegetation. This grouping gives a productive method to depict climatic conditions characterized by temperature and precipitation and their irregularity with a solitary measurement. Since climatic conditions distinguished by the Köppen arrangement are naturally important, it has been broadly used to plan geographic dispersion of long haul environments and related biological system conditions.