Making and
Understanding
Climatographs
Simple and Complex Climatographs
 Identify
distinctive climatic
characteristics of the 8
terrestrial biomes
Todays Objective

There are 4 key differences between
biomes:
◦
◦
◦
◦
Elevation (altitude)
Latitude
Temperature
Precipitation
We call these factors abiotic factors
 Abiotic factors are non-living physical
characteristics of the environment

What makes biomes different?
A
climatograph is a graph that
displays the characteristics of a two
of the abiotic components of a
biome:
◦ Temperature
◦ Precipitation (rain, snow, mist, fog)
 There
are two types of climatograph:
◦ Complex Climatographs
◦ Simple Climatographs
Climatographs
Complex Climatographs

If you are given the a range or an
average of temperature and/or
precipitation and asked to find the
corresponding biome…
◦ Find the point on the graph where the average
temperature and precipitation intersect (cross)
OR
◦ Draw a line along the first and second point on
the range, see which biome is sandwiched in
between and touching the two lines

Use the complex climatograph in your
textbook to answer the following questions
How do I read this graph?
Complex Climatographs

Which biome has an average annual precipitation of
175 cm and an average annual temperature of 5 C?
◦ Boreal Forest

Which biome ranges in temperature from 0 C to 20
C and receives about 100 cm of rain?
◦ Temperate Deciduous Forest

Which biome has a low average annual precipitation
and an average annual temperature that ranges
between -18 C and -8 C?
◦ Tundra

Which biome has a high average annual precipitation
and an average annual temperature of 15 C?
◦ Temperate Rainforest
Try it!
Simple Climatographs
At the top is a title showing the location
 The left scale shows the precipitation
 The right scale shows the temperature
 The bottom list the 12 months

◦ All sides are clearly labelled and show units!
Average monthly temperatures are drawn
using a line with a dot for each month
 Average monthly precipitation is shown by
drawing a bar above each month

Parts of a Climatograph

What is the average precipitation during
the month of June for Wellington, NZ?
◦ ~82 mm

What is the average precipitation during
the month of December?
◦ ~138 mm

What is the average temperature during
July?
◦ 16 °C
Try to answer these questions!

Your job is to create a BEAUTIFUL simple
climatograph for your biome
◦ This climatograph can be used for your Biome
Box
At the front of the class is climate data for
a location in each of the biomes and a
graph
 Take the data for YOUR biome, and use it
to create your climatograph
 Instructions are written on the handout

Assignment