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Interesting question. I personally don't see them as either. One more west coast marine, the other hot summer continental. I guess technically they both meet some sort of subtropical definition.
Neither of them meet any definition that I use, and I classify Eureka as Temperate Mediterranean and Turpan as Hot Summer (Semi-Arid) Continental. Per Koeppen neither of them are subtropical, but it's quite possible that per Trewartha both of them are subtropical!
Of course the question is which one of them is more subtropical, or, put another way, which was is closest to being subtropical.
Eureka, though in my view I'd describe them ( unscientifically ) as mild temperate and arid continental.
For me, subtropical is any C_a climate, C_b being temperate/oceanic; D_a being hot-summer continental. I'm actually happy with Koppen's system of temperature measurement versus Trewartha's, though I myself would have just included arid climates in the other classifications and used a middle letter ( maybe a for arid, e.g. Turpan being Daa ).
Wow, is there anywhere else on Earth that matches Turpan's stats (or another climate not nearby that's like that?). I looked around out of curiosity and couldn't find another climate with summers (summers in the 90s-100s F) like that but also have winters that much below freezing?
What other region comes close to this sort of arid continental climate?
I would say neither comes close but Eureka seems a bit more reasonable, because it seems like there are more climates that are considered "subtropical" but are closer or gradually grade into Eureka's climate (though Eureka grades into a Mediterranean climate, not a humid subtropical one), more than Turpan's climate. I'm at a loss to find something intermediate or "between" Turpan and a typical subtropical climate that grades into it.
Since you don't have a summer heat requirement for subtropical, do you consider every temperate oceanic climate to be subtropical?
No. But those climates have another important feature that the humid subtropical climates lack - low annual temperature range. Much more akin to the tropics.
I don't understand why there is a summer heat requirement, it's not going to change the number of species NYC (for instance) can support.
If I'm not mistaken corn and tomatoes require summer heat that is more typical of NYC or Kansas than Eureka. There are many species that won't grow well in 60F summer highs regardless of winter warmth. If you're going by just the number of species, then you want a biodiversity index, not a climate classification.
No. But those climates have another important feature that the humid subtropical climates lack - low annual temperature range. Much more akin to the tropics.
I don't understand why there is a summer heat requirement, it's not going to change the number of species NYC (for instance) can support.
At what point along the US West Coast for instance do you think subtropical ends? Is most of the south coast of England subtropical in your opinion?
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