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How do regional climatology and physical climatology differ?

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World map with continents shaded in colors representing climate zones, from warm reds and yellows near the equator to cool blues and whites at the poles. — Climate Even in our warming world, there will be some chilly evenings.

In the field of climatology, regional climatology and physical climatology represent two distinct approaches to studying the atmosphere.1

Regional Climatology focuses on the study of specific, characteristic weather phenomena associated with a particular continental or subcontinental region.1
Physical Climatology involves the statistical analysis of various weather elements—primarily temperature, moisture, atmospheric pressure, and wind speed—along with a detailed examination of the fundamental relationships between these elements.1

While both branches are essential to understanding climate, regional climatology emphasizes the geographic distribution of weather patterns, whereas physical climatology concentrates on the underlying physical and statistical processes that define those patterns.1