Climate: How Wladimir Koppen Studied Weather and Drew the First Climate Map

by Darcy Pattison, Peter Willis

Overview

Elementary Science - Weather and Climate

As a teenager, Wladimir Köppen became interested how the landscape changed as he traveled south from St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea in northern Russia to Crimea on the Black Sea. Explaining that changing landscape became his life's work.

In late 1800s, weather and climates were poorly understood. They needed someone to study it carefully over a long period of time. Köppen moved to Hamburg, Germany as head weatherman at the Deutsche Seewarte, the German Marine Observatory on the Baltic Sea. His job was to start one of the world's first daily weather reports. He helped set up weather stations on the North Sea and train its staff. From around the world, he gathered other weather data.

The World's First Climate Map

Slowly, that childhood problem of changing landscapes came into focus as he developed the world's first climate map. Still today, we use Köppen's maps, with some slight modifications. Köppen's maps still help us understand the world's ecosystems and plan for the future.

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• CLIMATE: How Wladimir Köppen Studied Weather and Drew the First Climate Map

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629443065
Publisher:	Mims House
Publication date:	05/20/2025
Series:	Moments in Science , #10
Pages:	34
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.09(d)
Lexile:	940L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 12 Years

About the Author

Children's book author and indie publisher DARCY PATTISON has written over seventy award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Five books have received starred PW, Kirkus, or BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, five Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book (CA Reading Assn.), two Junior Library Guild selections, two CLA Notable Children's Book in Language Arts, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book, a Best STEM Book, an Arkansiana Award, and the Susannah DeBlack Arkansas Children's History Book award. She's the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor's Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children's literature. Her books have been translated into ten languages.

With over 20 years' experience in illustration and design, illustrator Peter Willis continues to be as enthusiastic and passionate about his work as ever. His illustrations have palpable character, bringing them to life through his craft and quirky approach. He lives in northeast England with his wife and daughter. Other books include the ten-book Moments in Science series, and The Nantucket Sea Monster: A Fake News Story. His awards include a Junior Library Guild selection, two NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, three Eureka! Nonfiction Honor books (CA Reading Assn.), two starred Kirkus reviews, and a CLA Notable Children's Book in Language Arts.

Editorial Reviews

2025-02-19
A nonfiction children’s book focuses on a meteorology pioneer.

In this 10th installment of a science series, Pattison tells the story of Wladimir Köppen, a German Russian geographer and meteorologist who created the world’s first climate map. The illustrated book opens in 1859, when 13-year-old Köppen traveled by train with his family from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Crimea. During the journey, Köppen looked out the window, noticing the landscape changes. St. Petersburg had rainy weather, pine trees, and swamps; Moscow featured forests filled with birch, willow, and larch trees; and Crimea boasted oaks, pines, and firs. Köppen was curious about these differences. After graduating from college, he became a weatherman in Hamburg, Germany. He traveled extensively, setting up weather stations with thermometers, anemometers, and rain gauges; then, he gathered data via telegraph and made a daily weather map. Over time, weather patterns emerged. While other countries collected similar data to create maps, there was no information on the Atlantic Ocean, so Köppen worked with sailors to gather that material. He published atlases of the Indian Ocean (1891) and the Pacific (1896) and a book titledClimate Science(1899). His next project involved creating a kite station to measure upper atmospheric data. Eventually, all his work came together in the Köppen-Geiger climate map, which defined the world’s five major climate categories: tropical, arid, temperate, continental, and polar. Pattison effectively conveys Köppen’s curiosity, determination, and enthusiasm in this story by incorporating captivating details about his personality and habits. For example, Köppen was a night owl who often toiled by candlelight. His motto “Without hurry, without rest” guided his approach to work. The descriptions of nature are vibrant: “The sky swirled with the bright colors of children’s kites dancing in the wind.” But the book’s complex subject matter and specialized terminology may be challenging for the young readers drawn to the tale’s picture-book format. Still, Willis’ artwork beautifully captures the striking Russian forests; the cold, damp atmosphere of the North Sea coast; and the blustery autumn in Hamburg.

A visually evocative and mentally stimulating introduction to a climatologist.

Kirkus Reviews