Novais Climate Classification System: A New Multiscale Classification Method

The Novais climate classification is a system that employs reanalysis climate data and integrates both analytical and dynamic approaches to define homogeneous climate units according to the adopted hierarchical scale. This study applies the Novais classification globally, contributing to traditional, exclusively empirical climate classification systems widely used in the globe. Its methodology relies on cartographic products that were generated on the free software Dinamica EGO, associating spatial and non-spatial data through conditional equations. The Novais climate classification system contains hierarchies ranging from the zonal to the local scale, encompassing the regional level for the study area that comprises units divided into climatic zone, zonal climate, climatic domain, climatic subdomain, and climatic region. This study found 11 climatic domains, characterized by the average temperature of the coldest month: equatorial, mild equatorial, tropical, mild tropical, subtropical, temperate, cold temperate, subglacial, glacial, semiarid, and arid. These domains are subdivided into climatic subdomains according to the number of dry months (which can be humid, semihumid, semidry, and dry). Finally, the arrangement of domains and subdomains defines climatic regions by considering variations in relief and the biogeographic regions of each continent. Research at this scale can enhance the understanding of global climates, providing a relevant analytical and dynamic diagnosis that can synthesize the diversity and complexity of the climate across all continents.