Cold snow forest climates (D)
Also called: Group D climates · Topic: World Climate Classification: Koeppen's Scheme · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 11 "World Climate and Climate Change"
Meaning
Group D is a Koeppen group in which the coldest month averages −3°C or below and the warmest month is above 10°C. It covers large continental interiors between 40° and 70°N in Europe, Asia and North America. D climates occur only in the Northern Hemisphere. The southern continents narrow at these latitudes, so there is little land there, and the ocean around them keeps winters mild. Continentality (being far from the sea) makes both summers and winters more extreme. The colder D types carry the taiga, a coniferous forest of pine, spruce, fir and larch. The warmer D types carry mixed forest.
Example
The taiga belt across Siberia in Russia and across Canada is the standard example. Its economy rests on lumbering, fur and pulp.
Don't confuse with
- Warm temperate climates (C): in C the coldest month is between −3°C and 18°C. In D it is −3°C or below.
- Polar climates (E): in E every month is below 10°C, so trees cannot grow. D has at least one month above 10°C.