Climate zones in Turkey, 1991 to 2020
Share of Turkey's classified land in each Köppen-Geiger zone in 1991 to 2020. Zones under 0.05% are left out. The 1,166,798 map cells used cover 100% of the country's outline (about 777,697 km²).
By major group: C (temperate) 48%, D (cold (continental)) 45%, B (arid) 7.4%, E (polar) 0.1%.
Turkey has no single dominant climate. The biggest zone, Csa (hot-summer mediterranean), covers only 40% of its classified land in 1991 to 2020, followed by Dsb (24%) and Dsa (12%). 8 zones each cover 1% or more of it. In plain terms, hot-summer mediterranean means dry, hot summers and mild, wetter winters. Under the middle-of-the-road scenario (SSP2-4.5), 42% of its land is projected to be in a different zone by 2071 to 2099, with the biggest gain going to Csa (hot-summer mediterranean).
How Turkey's zones have changed and may change
Each row compares a map with 1991 to 2020. "Share in a different zone" is the share of the country's area whose class is different from 1991 to 2020. Future rows are model projections under an emissions scenario, not forecasts.
| Map | Share in a different zone | Different major group | Biggest gain | Biggest loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 to 1930 (past) | 21% | 7.5% | Csa +7.6 percentage points | Dsb -8.5 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP1-2.6 (low emissions) | 28% | 12% | Csa +9 percentage points | Dsb -11.1 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 (middle of the road) | 42% | 21% | Csa +11.5 percentage points | Dsb -16.7 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP5-8.5 (high emissions) | 59% | 34% | BSk +13.4 percentage points | Dsb -22.1 percentage points |
For the past row, the comparison runs the other way: the 1901 to 1930 map against 1991 to 2020.
Zone shares by map
| Zone | 1901 to 1930 | 1991 to 2020 | SSP1-2.6 (2071 to 2099) | SSP2-4.5 (2071 to 2099) | SSP5-8.5 (2071 to 2099) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | 32% | 40% | 49% | 51% | 52% |
| Dsb Warm-summer continental with dry summer | 32% | 24% | 12% | 6.9% | 1.5% |
| Dsa Hot-summer continental with dry summer | 8.2% | 12% | 15% | 16% | 15% |
| Dfb Warm-summer humid continental | 8.2% | 8.3% | 7% | 4.9% | 1.9% |
| BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | 6.8% | 7% | 8.7% | 13% | 20% |
| Cfa Humid subtropical | 1.7% | 3.2% | 4.9% | 4.1% | 2.9% |
| Csb Warm-summer Mediterranean | 5.2% | 2.5% | 0.6% | 0.3% | - |
| Cfb Temperate oceanic | 3.3% | 2.3% | 1.3% | 0.5% | - |
| Dfc Subarctic (boreal) | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.1% | - |
| BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 4.1% |
| Dsc Subarctic with dry summer | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.1% | - | - |
| Dfa Hot-summer humid continental | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 2.4% |
| ET Tundra | 0.2% | 0.1% | - | - | - |
Percentages are of the country's classified land in each map. A dash means under 0.05%.
Cities in Turkey and their climate zones
| City | 1991 to 2020 | 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Istanbul | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| Ankara | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) |
| Bursa | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| İzmir | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| Gaziantep | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| Diyarbakır | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| Adana | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| Kayseri | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) |
| Konya | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) |
| Antalya | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| Esenyurt | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| Eskişehir | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) |
| Çankaya | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) |
| Küçükçekmece | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| Erzurum | Dfb Warm-summer humid continental | Dfa Hot-summer humid continental |
| Malatya | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
| Bağcılar | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean |
Zones found in Turkey
- Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean
- Dsb Warm-summer continental with dry summer
- Dsa Hot-summer continental with dry summer
- Dfb Warm-summer humid continental
- BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe)
- Cfa Humid subtropical
- Csb Warm-summer Mediterranean
- Cfb Temperate oceanic
- Dfc Subarctic (boreal)
- BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe)
- Dsc Subarctic with dry summer
- Dfa Hot-summer humid continental
- ET Tundra
Data: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0; country outlines from Natural Earth. In 1901 to 1930 the most common zone was Dsb. See data sources and licences.