Global Vegetation and Land Use: New High-Resolution Data Bases for Climate Studies

TLDR

Discrepancies among global land‑cover datasets may stem from differing ecosystem definitions and source materials. The authors compiled 1° resolution global vegetation and land‑use databases from ~100 published sources and satellite imagery, encoded with UNESCO and a custom classification, and integrated them into a land‑cover database. The new land‑cover database produced ecosystem area estimates that differ significantly from two other global sources and suggests a large reduction in total ecosystem area attributable to agriculture.

Abstract

Abstract Global vegetation and land-use data bases (1° latitude by 1° longitude resolution), designed for use in studies of climate and climate change, were compiled in digital form drawing upon approximately 100 published sources complemented by a large collection of satellite imagery. The vegetation data were encoded using the UNESCO classification system; land-use data were encoded using a classification system developed by the author. The vegetation and land-use data were then integrated into a land-cover data base. Areal estimates for most ecosystems from the land-cover data base were found to be significantly different from areal estimates derived from two other global land-cover sources. Possible explanations for discrepancies among these data bases include differences in ecosystem definitions and source material used in compilation. From areal estimates of major ecosystems, derived from the new vegetation and land-cover data bases it is estimated that the total ecosystem reduction caused by agricu...