MAPPING OF CLIMATOLOGICAL ELEMENTS

Climatological maps and atlases have been in existence for only a little more than a century. Alexander von Humboldt is considered to be the innovator of climatological mapping, but it was not until the last decades of the 19th century that national and global maps of climatological elements became generally available. Maps are only as good as the basic data upon which they are constructed and analysts must be aware of the limitations of these data as well as their spatial and temporal variability. It is often possible to synthesize data when sufficient basic data are not available. Computer mapping is not yet completely acceptable since there are so many subjective factors to be considered. Isolines on climatological maps are not merely lines connecting points of equal value; the basic meteorological principles involved must be considered in any competent analysis of the data involved. On some maps, data are reduced to sea level for relativity, but for most climatological mapping actual surface data are used. The preparation of climatological maps from satellite data and pictures present a promising new field to meteorologists.