The term “classical climatology” describes a specific interest in climate from the mid-19^th century to the early 20^th century. Typically, scholars like Alexander von Humboldt or Julius von Hann are considered to have set the theoretical basis for this type of climate research (Heymann 2009). As Humboldt explained:

“The term climate denotes in its most general sense all changes of the atmosphere which directly affect our organs.”

And the Austrian Meteorologist Julius von Hann later specified:

“What we understand as climate is the totality of meteorological phenomena which describe the average state of the atmosphere over a specific location on earth.”

Main focus in classical climatology was hence the effort to collect as many climatological observation data as possible in order to define a statistical average and describe the different climates of the earth (as for climate classifications) or specific climatic phenomena (such as the Indian monsoon). Climate was hence largely understood as a static and spatial concept (see also bioclimatology).[1] Climatology was a quantitative and descriptive discipline. Research programs in climatology included the exploration and description of climates on all regions on earth, an understanding of climatic phenomena based on local climatic factors and the relations between human activities and climate.

Well into the 1930s, climatology was conceived as a geographical subdiscipline. Climatologists were typically educated in geographical departments with this descriptive approach. One prominent representative of classical climatology was Wladimir Köppen. He developed a first classification of climates of the earth in 1884, which he developed further in the subsequent years and decades. Countless new editions of climate classifications and climate maps were published. Köppens climate classification is still in use today. The colossal new edition of the “Handbook of Climatology”, edited by Köppen and his younger colleague Rudolf Geiger between 1930 and 1936, was acknowledged as “the crowning achievement of the classical period of climatology”.[2]