Present the important aspects of the Thornthwaite classification system and explain why it is not widely used

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: Thornthwaite's classification system was developed to distinguish climates based on moisture availability. It is based on the principle of the water balance and evolved through decades of work that culminated in its final form in 1955. Compared to Koeppen's system, the water-balance computations needed by Thornthwaite's method are laborious, and the resulting regions are therefore quite removed from the underlying climatic data. Thus, the pattern of climates that emerges is harder to interpret in terms of large-scale processes. Also, although the basic concept of potential evapotranspiration is widely accepted, the method developed by Thornthwaite does not follow from physical principles, but instead relies on data collected mainly in the eastern United States.