Camargo, Koppen and Thornthwaite climate classification systems in defining climatical regions of the state of SAo Paulo, Brazil

摘要

Climate classification systems (CCS) are important tools to support a sustainable agriculture providing information about basic and general characteristics of a regional climate. The Koppen CCS (KGT) is considered useful mainly in macroscale and Thornthwaite CCS (TH), with a more complex symbology, in mesoscale for climatic determinations. Camargo (1991) (CAM) proposed a new CCS trying to be as simple as Koppen and robust as TH nevertheless with a simple symbology. In the state of SAo Paulo, it is known that regions with distinct availability of seasonal and annual rainfall are classified similarly by KGT, bringing erroneous information to the agricultural credit system, sowing times and yield forecasts. A comparison of different CCS raises a better understanding of a regional climate in different spatial scales and of CCS themselves. Aiming to characterize the climate and the performance of the CAM the KGT, CAM and TH were applied in 334 locations in the state of SAo Paulo, Brazil. The most common CAM climates in the state were subtropical humid with dry winter (ST-UMi) in the Centre and East region of the state, Tropical humid with dry winter (TR-UMi) and Tropical subhumid with dry winter (TR-SBi) in the north and west region, respectively. The total numbers of climates were 7, 19 and 26 from KGT, CAM and TH, respectively. The KGT had the ability in separating climates in macroscale, and CAM and TH in mesoscale. There was a tendency of the three CCS in separating warm and dry from cold and wet regions. The TH and CAM had the same performance (number of climates, NOC) in the extremes regions, in the hotter and dry (northern plateau) and the colder (mountainous regions, altitude>900m) corresponding to 52% of the state (178 locations). In the other areas TH had the double NOC than CAM.