Polar climates are classified into two types based on which factor? A) winter precipitation B) winter temperatures C) summer temperatures D) summer precipitation

What this question is really asking

Polar climates are divided into two main types (tundra and ice cap). To choose the right option, you need to know what variable the classification uses to separate those two.

The rule used to split polar climates

In the Köppen climate classification, the key separator is the warmest month (summer) temperature:

• Tundra (ET): warmest month temperature is above $0^\circ\text{C}$ but below $10^\circ\text{C}$
• Ice cap (EF): warmest month temperature is at or below $0^\circ\text{C}$

So the two polar types are distinguished by summer temperatures, not precipitation or winter temperatures.

Picking the correct choice

Because the split depends on the warmest month temperature, the correct answer is C) summer temperatures.