Using satellite data, scientists have produced a first-of-its kind map that details the height of the world's forests. Although there are other local- and regional-scale forest canopy maps, the new map is the first that spans the entire globe based on one uniform method.
Link to Original Article

Description:

This map displays the data used by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) to delineate the spatial extent of the inland water system boundary. Inland water includes: major rivers, wetlands, lakes, and reservoirs, but excludes coastal wetland, 25-50% wetland, and wetland complex. These categories are not ecosystems themselves; each contains a number of ecosystems. The MA reporting categories are not mutually exclusive: their boundaries can and do overlap. Ecosystems within each category share a suite of biological, climatic, and social factors that tend to differ across categories. Because the boundaries of these reporting categories overlap, any place on Earth may fall into more than one category. The datasets supported the work of the Condition and Trends Working Group which assessed the changing conditions of ecosystems and their services, the causes of changes to ecosystems, and the consequences of ecosystem change for human wellbeing.

Keywords:

Water

Source:

National Biological Information Infrastructure Click here to open in new window

Map Scale:

1:5,000,000

Coordinate System:

Geographic Coordinate System Name: GCS WGS 1984

Latitude Resolution: 0.000000
Longitude Resolution: 0.000000
Geogrphic Coordinate Units: Decimal degrees

Planar Coordinate Information

Coordinate Encoding Method: row and column
Coordinate Representation
Abscissa Resolution: 0.008333
Ordinate Resolution: 0.008333

Geodetic Model

Horizontal Datum Name: D_WGS_1984
Ellipsoid Name: WGS_1984
Semi-major Axis: 6378137.000000
Denominator of Flattening Ratio: 298.257224

File Type:

Raster

Attributes:

Inland Water Type

Related Information:

Metadata Click here to open in new window

Preview:

Description:

This map displays the major river basins of the world. It is becoming acknowledged that water is likely to be the most pressing environmental concern of the next century. Difficulties in river basin management are only exacerbated when the resource crosses international boundaries. One critical aid in the assessment of international waters has been the Register of International Rivers - a compendium which listed 214 international waterways that cover 47% of the earth's continental land-surface. The Register, though, was last updated in 1978 by the now-defunct United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The purpose of this paper is to update the Register in order to reflect the quantum changes that have taken place over the last 22 years, both in global geopolitics and in map coverage and technology. By accessing digital elevation models at spatial resolutions of 30 arc seconds, corroborating at a unified global map coverage of at least 1:1,000,000, and superimposing the results over complete coverage of current political boundaries, we are able to provide a new register which lists 261 international rivers, covering 45.3% of the land-surface of the earth (excluding Antarctica). This paper lists all international rivers with their watershed areas, and the nations that share each watershed.

Keywords:

Water

Source:

US Geological Survey Global GIS Dataset Click here to open in new window

Map Scale:

1:5,000,000

Coordinate System:

Geographic Coordinate System Name: GCS WGS 1984

Latitude Resolution: 0.000000
Longitude Resolution: 0.000000
Geogrphic Coordinate Units: Decimal degrees

 Geodetic Model

Horizontal Datum Name: D_WGS_1984
Ellipsoid Name: WGS_1984
Semi-major Axis: 6378137.000000
Denominator of Flattening Ratio: 298.257224

File Type:

Polygon

Attributes:

River Basin Name

Related Information:

Metadata Click here to open in new window

Preview: