North American Environmental Atlas

Home » North American Environmental Atlas

Mapping Our Shared Environment

The North American Environmental Atlas combines and harmonizes geospatial data from Canada, Mexico and the United States to allow for a continental and regional perspective on environmental issues that cross boundaries. It is a unique tool to analyze and raise awareness of our shared environment and ecosystems across the continent, to demonstrate their value, and to help us see what needs to be done to protect them.

The dozens of map layers of the Atlas are unique in that they harmonize geographic information across North America’s political boundaries. By comparing these map layers, we can better understand and quantify critical trends and interrelationships at the North American level.

Explore this interactive story for a better understanding of how the Atlas can be useful to you.

Explore more than one thousand publications and articles that utilized data from the North American Environmental Atlas.

Help us improve the North American Environmental Atlas

Map Files

North American Forests, 2022

2022 Ecoregions

The North American Forest map shows the distribution of eighteen different primary ecological zones pertaining to forest systems within Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Terrestrial Ecoregions: Level I

2021 Ecoregions

Ecological regions are areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources.

Terrestrial Ecoregions: Level II

2021 Ecoregions

Ecological regions are areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources.

Climate Zones of North America

2021 Climate, Ecoregions

The North American Climate Zones map shows the distribution of climate types across Canada, Mexico, and the United States based on the Köppen-Geiger climate classification.

Terrestrial Ecoregions: Level III

2021 Ecoregions

Ecological regions are areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources.

North American Blue Carbon, 2021

2021 Climate, Protected Areas

The North American Blue Carbon map shows the distribution of salt marsh, mangrove, and seagrass habitats in North America.

Land Cover, 2010 (MODIS, 250m)

2013 Land Cover

This map of North American land cover at a spatial resolution of 250 meters provides a harmonized view of the physical cover of Earth's surface across the continent based on 2010 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery.

Land Cover, 2005 (MODIS, 250m)

2013 Land Cover

This map of North American land cover at a spatial resolution of 250 meters provides a harmonized view of the physical cover of Earth's surface across the continent based on 2005 Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery.

Land Cover Change, 2005-2010 (MODIS, 250m)

2013 Land Cover

This map demonstrates land cover change between 2005 and 2010 in North America at a spatial resolution of 250 meters.

North American Power Plant Air Emissions, 2005

2012 Climate, Pollutants

The North American Power Plants map displays over 3,000 power-generating facilities using fossil fuel sources in 2005.

Airports, 2011

2012 Humans, Transportation

This North American Environmental Atlas base layer shows airports (excluding heliports and seaplane bases) of North America at 1:10,000,000 scale.

Temperature (1950-2000) – Annual

2011 Climate

Tools

Map Viewer

The North American Environmental Atlas map viewer provides access to several data layers, including terrestrial and marine ecosystems as well as human influence.

MapMonday

From tracking Uber orders in Montreal to understanding the effect of coastal farming activity in Sinaloa, Mexico– maps help us navigate and understand the world around us.

North American Land Change Monitoring System

A collaborative initiative between Canada, Mexico, and the United States to monitor land cover - the observed physical cover on the surface of the Earth - and its change over time.