Climate zones in Azerbaijan, 1991 to 2020
Share of Azerbaijan's classified land in each Köppen-Geiger zone in 1991 to 2020. Zones under 0.05% are left out. The 131,543 map cells used cover 100% of the country's outline (about 86,148 km²).
By major group: B (arid) 49%, D (cold (continental)) 26%, C (temperate) 24%, E (polar) 0.6%.
Azerbaijan has no single dominant climate. The biggest zone, BSk (cold semi-arid (steppe)), covers only 49% of its classified land in 1991 to 2020, followed by Cfa (16%) and Dfb (16%). 8 zones each cover 1% or more of it. In plain terms, cold semi-arid (steppe) means dry grassland with cool or cold conditions. Under the middle-of-the-road scenario (SSP2-4.5), 50% of its land is projected to be in a different zone by 2071 to 2099, with the biggest gain going to BSh (hot semi-arid (steppe)).
How Azerbaijan'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% | 15% | BSk +7.4 percentage points | Dfa -5.9 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP1-2.6 (low emissions) | 16% | 7.4% | Cfa +2 percentage points | Dfc -2 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 (middle of the road) | 50% | 13% | BSh +26.3 percentage points | BSk -21.7 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP5-8.5 (high emissions) | 82% | 24% | BSh +47.8 percentage points | BSk -38 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | 41% | 49% | 50% | 27% | 11% |
| Cfa Humid subtropical | 15% | 16% | 18% | 17% | 15% |
| Dfb Warm-summer humid continental | 17% | 16% | 14% | 11% | 5.9% |
| Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | 5.8% | 7.6% | 9.4% | 11% | 11% |
| Dfc Subarctic (boreal) | 5% | 4.1% | 2.1% | 1.2% | 0.4% |
| Dsb Warm-summer continental with dry summer | 2.9% | 2.7% | 1.7% | 1.2% | 0.2% |
| Dfa Hot-summer humid continental | 7.9% | 2% | 2.4% | 3.7% | 6.2% |
| Dsa Hot-summer continental with dry summer | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.4% |
| ET Tundra | 1% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.1% | - |
| BWk Cold desert | 1.8% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.3% | - |
| Cfb Temperate oceanic | 0.2% | 0.5% | - | - | - |
| Csb Warm-summer Mediterranean | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% | - | - |
| Dsc Subarctic with dry summer | 0.1% | - | - | - | - |
| BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | - | - | 0.3% | 26% | 48% |
| BWh Hot desert | - | - | - | 0.1% | 1.5% |
Percentages are of the country's classified land in each map. A dash means under 0.05%.
Cities in Azerbaijan and their climate zones
| City | 1991 to 2020 | 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Baku | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) |
Zones found in Azerbaijan
- BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe)
- Cfa Humid subtropical
- Dfb Warm-summer humid continental
- Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean
- Dfc Subarctic (boreal)
- Dsb Warm-summer continental with dry summer
- Dfa Hot-summer humid continental
- Dsa Hot-summer continental with dry summer
- ET Tundra
- BWk Cold desert
- Cfb Temperate oceanic
- Csb Warm-summer Mediterranean
Data: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0; country outlines from Natural Earth. In 1901 to 1930 the most common zone was BSk. See data sources and licences.