Wladimir Peter Köppen

Wladimir Peter Köppen is a meteorologist, a climatologist and a German Botaniste . He was born with Saint-Petersbourg the September 25th 1846, and deceased with Graz, Austria, the June 22nd 1940. He worked out the system of Classification of Köppen, which is always used at present with some modifications, to gather the Climat S in similar types.

Although his/her parents are German, it was born in Russia, and begins its schooling in the Crimea. As of the school, it is attracted by the relations between the plants and the climate in which they push. Later, he studies in the universities of Heidelberg then of Leipzig, in Germany, of which he obtains the diploma in 1870. Its thesis relates to the effects of the temperature on the growth of the plants.

Between 1872 and 1873, Köppen is employed at the weather services of Russia. In 1875, it turns over to Germany, where he becomes chief of the new meteorology service marine at the German naval observatory (Deutsche Seewarte) based with Hamburg. There, it is responsible for the establishment of a bulletin of forecast weather for the north-western part of Germany. After four years of service, it can return in what interested it prioritairement : the basic research

Köppen begins a systematic study of the climate and fact of the experiments with Ballon S to obtain data on the air in altitude. In 1884, it publishes the first version of its chart of the climatic zones, in which the intervals of seasonal temperature are indicated. This work leads to the development of the system of Classification of Köppen in the neighborhoods of 1900, which it continued to improve all its life. The full version of its system appears for the first time in 1918, and after several modifications, the final version is published in 1936.

Separately the description of the various types of climates, it is also interested in paleoclimatology. In 1924, it publishes with his/her son-in-law Alfred Wegener an article entitled Die Klimate der Geologischen Vorzeit . (Climates of the geological past). who gives a crucial support for the theory of Milutin Milanković over the glacial eras.

Until the end of its life, Köppen cooperates with the German climatologist Rudolph Geiger with the drafting of a handbook of climatology in five volumes ( Handbuch der Klimatologie ) which was never finished but of which several parts, of which three of Köppen were published. After the death of Köppen in 1940 Geiger continues to work with the modifications of the system of classification of the climates.

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