Climate zones in Papua New Guinea, 1991 to 2020
Share of Papua New Guinea's classified land in each Köppen-Geiger zone in 1991 to 2020. Zones under 0.05% are left out. The 540,321 map cells used cover 99% of the country's outline (about 460,748 km²).
By major group: A (tropical) 84%, C (temperate) 16%, E (polar) 0.6%.
Af, tropical rainforest, is the main climate of Papua New Guinea, covering 78% of its classified land in 1991 to 2020, with Cfb (temperate oceanic) next at 16%. In plain terms, tropical rainforest means hot, wet and green every month of the year. Under the middle-of-the-road scenario (SSP2-4.5), 7.1% of its land is projected to be in a different zone by 2071 to 2099, with the biggest gain going to Af (tropical rainforest).
How Papua New Guinea'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) | 5.3% | 1.8% | Am +1.2 percentage points | Cfb -1.8 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP1-2.6 (low emissions) | 4.2% | 3% | Af +2.2 percentage points | Cfb -2.4 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 (middle of the road) | 7.1% | 5.5% | Af +3.8 percentage points | Cfb -4.6 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP5-8.5 (high emissions) | 11% | 8.7% | Af +6.7 percentage points | Cfb -7.6 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Af Tropical rainforest | 77% | 78% | 80% | 82% | 85% |
| Cfb Temperate oceanic | 18% | 16% | 14% | 11% | 8.3% |
| Am Tropical monsoon | 3.8% | 5% | 5.7% | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| ET Tundra | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.2% | - |
| Aw Tropical savannah | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
Percentages are of the country's classified land in each map. A dash means under 0.05%.
Zones found in Papua New Guinea
Data: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0; country outlines from Natural Earth. In 1901 to 1930 the most common zone was Af. See data sources and licences.