Gridded Global Vegetation Types
- Goddard Space Flight Center, Institute for Space Studies
Global digital databases of natural vegetation and land use were compiled, for use in climate studies, at 1 degree resolution from over 100 published sources. A series of 6 data sets, derived from the original compilations, was prepared and archived on tape at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) (Matthews, 1984). The first, this database, is a vegetation data set representing natural (pre-agricultural) vegetation based on the UNESCO classification system. The ecosystem classifications used are: 1. tropical evergreen rainforest, mangrove forest; 2. tropical/subtropical evergreen seasonal broadleaved forest; 3. subtropical evergreen rainforest; 4. temperate/subpolar evergreen rainforest; 5. temperate evergreen seasonal broadleaved forest, summer rain; 6. evergreen broadleaved sclerophyllous forest winter rain; 7. tropical/subtropical evergreen needleleaved forest; 8. temperate/subpolar evergreen needleleaved forest; 9. tropical/subtropical drought-deciduous forest; 10. cold-deciduous forest, with evergreens; 11. cold-deciduous forest, without evergreens; 12. xeromorphic forest/woodland; 13. evergreen broadleaved sclerophyllous woodland; 14. evergreen needleleaved woodland; 15. tropical/subtropical drought-deciduous woodlands; 16. cold-deciduous woodland; 17. evergreen broadleaved shrubland/thicket, evergreen dwarf-shrubland; 18. evergreen needleleaved or microphyllous shrubland/thicket; 19. drought-deciduous shrubland/thicket; 20. cold-deciduous subalpine/polar shrubland, cold-deciduous dwarf shrubland; 21. xeromorphic shrubland/dwarf shrubland; 22. arctic/alpine tundra, mossy bog; 23. tall/medium/short grassland with 10-40% woody tree cover; 24. tall/medium/short grassland with < 10% woody tree cover or tuft-plant cover; 25. tall/medium/short grassland with shrub cover; 26. tall grassland, no woody cover; 27. medium grassland, no woody cover; 28. meadow, short grassland, no woody cover; 29. forb formations; 30. desert; 31. ice; and 32. cultivation.
- Research Organization:
- Environmental System Science Data Infrastructure for a Virtual Ecosystem (ESS-DIVE) (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 1464257
- Report Number(s):
- cdiac:Vegetation_Types_Matthews
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Natural Vegetation
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Gridded Ecosystem Classifications
Global Vegitation Types (32)
Veg-Type-1: Tropical evergreen rainforest
mangrove forest
Veg-Type-2: Tropical/Subtropical evergreen seasonal broadleaved forest
Veg-Type-3: Subtropical evergreen rainforest
Veg-Type-4: Temperate/Subpolar evergreen rainforest
Veg-Type-5: Temperate evergreen seasonal broadleaved forest
summer rain
Veg-Type-6: evergreen broadleaved sclerophyllous forest wither rain
Veg-Type-7: Tropical/subtropical evergreen needleleaved forest
Veg-Type-8: Temperate/subpolar evergreen needleleaved forest
Veg-Type-9: Tropical/Subtropical drought-deciduous forest
Veg-Type-10: Cold-Deciduous forest
with evergreens
Veg-Type-11: Cold-Deciduous forest
without evergreens
Veg-Type-12: xeromorphic forest/woodland
Veg-Type-13: evergreen broadleaved sclerophyllous woodlands
Veg-Type-14: evergreen needle leaved woodland
Veg-Type-15: Tropical/Subtropical drought-deciduous woodland
Veg-Type-16: Cold-deciduous woodland
Veg-Type-17: evergreen broadleaved shrubland/thicket
evergreen dwarf-shrubland
Veg-Type-18: evergreen needleleaved or microphyllous shrubland/thicket
Veg-Type-19: drought-deciduous shrubland/thicket
Veg-Type-20: cold-deciduous subalpine/subpolar shrubland
cold-deciduous swarf shrubland
Veg-Type-21: xeromorphic shrubland/dwarf shrubland
Veg-Type-22: arctic/alpine tundra
mossy bog
Veg-Type-23: tall/medium/short grassland with 10-40% woody tree cover
Veg-Type-24: tall/mediu
/short grassland with <10% woody tree cover or tuft-pland cover
Veg-Type-25: tall/medium/short grassland with shrub cover
Veg-Type-26: tall grassland
no woody cover
Veg-Type-27: medium grassland
no woody cover
Veg-Type-28: meadow
short grassland
no woody cover
Veg-Type-29: forb formations
Veg-Type-30: desert
Veg-Type-31: ice
Veg-Type-32: cultivation
Number of Records in data file
Demensions
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