C. W. Thornthwaite

Who was C. W. Thornthwaite?

Charles Warren Thornthwaite was an American geographer and climatologist. He is best known for devising a climate classification system, published in 1948, that is still in use around the world, and also for his detailed water budget computations of potential evapotranspiration. He was Professor of Climatology at Johns Hopkins University, adjunct professor at Drexel University, President of the Commission for Climatology of the World Meteorological Organization, a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Association of American Geographers, and the Cullum Medal from the American Geographical Society.