RAS question
In Koppen's climate classification, 'Aw' represents:
Correct answer: (D) Tropical savanna (wet and dry) climate.
In Koppen's climate classification, Aw represents the tropical savanna, or tropical wet-and-dry, climate.
Explanation
Aw is the code for the tropical savanna, also called the tropical wet-and-dry climate. The code breaks down directly: A marks the tropical climate group, while w indicates a dry winter season. Encyclopaedia Britannica identifies tropical wet-dry climate as an Aw or savanna climate in the Koppen system and notes its distinct wet and dry seasons, with most rainfall in the summer or high-sun season. That seasonal contrast is the key reason Aw is not a rainforest, desert, or humid subtropical type. In India, most of peninsular India falls under this climatic type.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Arid desert climate is coded BWh, so it belongs to the dry B group rather than the tropical A group marked by Aw.
- (B) Tropical rainforest climate is Af, where the rainforest type lacks the winter-dry w signal used in Aw.
- (C) Humid subtropical climate is Cfa, a C-group climate, not the tropical wet-and-dry Aw type.
Concept
This tests the decoding of Koppen climate symbols, especially the distinction between tropical subtypes. It recurs in RAS because climate classification links world geography with India's and Rajasthan's climatic regions.