For Your Biologists/Ecologists/Geographers: Explore A Tapestry Of World Ecosystems

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Link: Explore a Tapestry of World Ecosystems

 

The United States Geological Survey has published a new global ecosystems map of unprecedented detail.

 

The map was produced by a team led by Roger Sayre, Ph.D., Senior Scientist for Ecosystems at the USGS Land Change Science Program. It is a mosaic of almost 4,000 unique ecological areas called Ecological Land Units (ELUs) based on four factors that are key in determining the makeup of ecosystems. Three of these—bioclimate, landforms, and rock type—are physical phenomena that drive the formation of soils and the distribution of vegetation. The fourth, land cover, is the vegetation that is found in a location as a response to the physical factors.

 

This Story Map Journal has two main features, an ecosystems browser and an ecosystem tour...

 

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