El Nio and the Kppen–Geiger Classification: A Prototype Concept and Methodology for Mapping Impacts in Central America and the Circum-Caribbean

作者：Lino Naranjo; Michael H.Glantz; Sayat Temirbekov; Ivan J.Ramírez

来源：International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2018, 9(02): 224-236.

The aim of this pilot study conducted by the consortium for capacity building was to develop a prototype concept and methodology for the classification and visualization of the geographic impacts of El Nio on annual climates and seasonality. Our study is based on the Kppen–Geiger climate classification scheme for a set of selected countries affected by strong El Nios in Latin America. By identifying and visualizing the annual and seasonal changes in regional, national, or subnational climate regimes that generally accompany an El Nio event,this research proposes an efficient way to detect and describe climate shifts and variability across time and space. Such knowledge provides a support tool for risk analysis and can potentially enhance government efforts of climate risk management, including disaster risk reduction activities that prevent, mitigate, and improve coping responses to El Nio-related hydrometeorological threats.Details of the conceptual approach and methodology to classifying and mapping El Nio’s impacts are described and explained using the Central American and circumCaribbean region as a case study. The potential applications for disaster risk reduction as well as its limitations and future work are also discussed.