klimatologie

klimatologie, or climatology in English, is the branch of atmospheric science that studies climates—the long‑term patterns of temperature, precipitation, wind, and other meteorological variables across regions and time. It analyzes the statistical properties of weather, including means, variability, extremes, and trends on timescales from decades to millennia, and seeks to understand how and why these properties change.

klimatologie distinguishes climate from weather by focusing on persistent patterns rather than short‑term conditions. It relies on diverse data sources, including instrumental records, paleoclimate proxies (ice cores, tree rings, sediments), and modern observations, as well as reanalysis products that combine models with observations. Climate modeling, especially general circulation models and earth system models, is used to simulate past, present, and future climates. Downscaling methods translate global projections to regional scales.

Key concepts include climate normals (often a 30‑year reference period), natural variability, anthropogenic and natural forcings, feedback mechanisms (such as albedo and water vapor), and climate sensitivity. Subfields include paleoclimatology, regional climatology, urban climatology, and climate dynamics.

Applications cover climate risk assessment, adaptation planning, water resource management, agriculture, and infrastructure design. klimatologie intersects with meteorology, hydrology, geology, and ecology, providing a framework to understand how climates shape ecosystems and societies and how they may respond to ongoing change. Notable outputs include long‑term climate projections and assessments produced by bodies such as the IPCC.