North American Environmental Atlas - Wetlands, 2004

Type  TIFF

Tags  North America, América del Norte, Amérique du Nord, Wetlands, Humedales, Terres humides, Canada, Canadá, United States, Estados Unidos, États-Unis, Mexico, México, Mexique, CEC, CCA, CCE

Summary

This map shows different wetland types, as well as lakes and rivers, across North America. The map was made using the Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD), which was created using a variety of the best available sources for lakes and wetlands on a global scale.

Description

This map shows different wetland types, as well as lakes and rivers, across North America.

The map was made using the Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD) Level 3, which was created using a variety of the best available sources for lakes and wetlands on a global scale.

Level 3 of the Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD) comprises lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and different wetland types in the form of a global raster map at 30-sec resolution. GLWD-3 may serve as an estimate of wetland extents for global hydrology and climatology models, or to identify large-scale wetland distributions and important wetland complexes.

Source: Lehner, B., and P. Döll. 2004. Development and validation of a global database of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands. Journal of Hydrology 296/1-4: 1–22. Global Lakes and Wetlands Database available through World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Files Download

Credits

Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). 2004. “North American Environmental Atlas - Wetlands”. World Wildlife Fund US, Global Lakes and Wetlands Database, Level 3. Ed. 1.0, Vector digital data [1:10,000,000]. Lehner, B. and Doell, P. (2004): Development and validation of a global database of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands. Journal of Hydrology 296/1-4: 1-22.  

Use limitations

This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.

Extent

West  -180     East -50
North  85     South -14

Scale Range

Maximum (zoomed in)  1:5,000
Minimum (zoomed out)  1:150,000,000

Topics and Keywords 

Themes or categories of the resource Environment, Inland Waters

Content type Downloadable Data
Export to FGDC CSDGM XML format as Resource Description No

Theme keywords North American Environmental Atlas > Terrestrial Ecosystems > Lakes, North American Environmental Atlas > Terrestrial Ecosystems > Wetlands

Thesaurus 
Title North American Environmental Atlas
Publication date 2004-07-19 00:00:00

Responsible party - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Place keywords Mid-latitude, Western Hemisphere, Northern Hemisphere, North America, Canada, Mexico, United States

Thesaurus 
Title North American Environmental Atlas
Publication date 2004-07-19 00:00:00

Responsible party - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Temporal keywords 2004

Citation 

Title North American Environmental Atlas - Wetlands, 2004
Publication date 2004-07-19 00:00:00

Edition 1

Presentation formats digital map
FGDC geospatial presentation format vector digital data

Resource identifier
Value NAatlas_1.08

Citation Contacts 

Responsible party - point of contact
Individual's name Dominique Croteau
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
Contact's position Project Lead, Geospatial and Environmental Information

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Responsible party - resource provider
Organization's name World Wildlife Fund US

Contact information 
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1250 24th Street NW
City Washington
Administrative area District of Columbia
Postal code 20037
Country US
e-mail addressbernhard.lehner@wwfus.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)http://www.wwfus.org/science/data.cfm

Contact instructions
Contact Person: Bernhard Lehner

Responsible party - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Locales 

Locale English (UNITED STATES)
Title Wetlands
Abstract (Description)
This map shows different wetland types, as well as lakes and rivers, across North America.

The map was made using the Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD), which was created using a variety of the best available sources for lakes and wetlands on a global scale.

Source: Lehner, B., and P. Döll. 2004. Development and validation of a global database of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands. Journal of Hydrology 296/1-4: 1–22. Global Lakes and Wetlands Database available through World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Locale Spanish; Castilian (MEXICO)
Title Humedales
Abstract (Description)
Este mapa muestra diversas clases de humedales, además de lagos y ríos, de América del Norte.

El mapa se elaboró usando la Base de Datos Mundial de Lagos y Humedales (Global Lakes and Wetlands Database, GLWD), creada a partir de una variedad de las mejores fuentes disponibles con datos sobre lagos y humedales en escala mundial.
Fuente: B. Lehner y P. Döll, «Development and validation of a global database of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands», Journal of Hydrology 296/1-4: 1-22, 2004.

La Base de Datos Mundial de Lagos y Humedales (Global Lakes and Wetlands Database, GLWD) puede consultarse en el sitio web del Fondo Mundial para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (WWF).

Locale French (CANADA)
Title Terres humides
Abstract (Description)
Cette carte montre les différents types de terres humides, ainsi que les lacs et les cours d’eau de l’ensemble de l’Amérique du Nord.

On l’a créée en utilisant la Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD), constituée à partir de certaines des sources de données les plus fiables au monde à propos des lacs et des terres humides.

Source : Lehner, B. et P. Döll. Development and validation of a global database of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands, Journal of Hydrology 296/1-4, p. 1-22, 2004. On peut également consulter la Global Lakes and Wetlands Database par l’intermédiaire du Fonds mondial pour la nature (WWF).

Resource Details 

Dataset languages English (UNITED STATES)
Dataset character set utf8 - 8 bit UCS Transfer Format

Status completed
Spatial representation type grid

Spatial resolution
Dataset's scale
Scale denominator 417.126323
Ground sample distance
Precision of spatial data  m (meter)

Supplemental information
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), which came into force at the same time as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The CEC was established to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law. As of 2020, the CEC operates in accordance with the Environmental Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force at the same time as the CUSMA/T-MEC/USMCA trade agreement.

This data set is available in several formats, including Shapefile, Map package, and a PDF Map, along with other files appropriate to particular format, such as .lyrx and .qlr files.

Processing environment Windows 11 Pro; Version 24H2; OS build 26100.3775; Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.66.0 -- ArcGIS Pro 3.4.3

Credits
Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). 2004. “North American Environmental Atlas - Wetlands”. World Wildlife Fund US, Global Lakes and Wetlands Database, Level 3. Ed. 1.0, Vector digital data [1:10,000,000]. Lehner, B. and Doell, P. (2004): Development and validation of a global database of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands. Journal of Hydrology 296/1-4: 1-22.  

ArcGIS item properties
Name na_wetlands.tif
Location file://E:\Dropbox\CEC\01_CEC_Env_Atlas_Base\1_Terrestrial_Ecosystems\1_08_Wetlands_2004\02_Deliverables\NA_Wetlands_TIF\NA_Wetlands_2004\data\na_wetlands.tif
Access protocol Local Area Network

Extents 

Extent
Description
This dataset includes wetlands and related ecosystems for all North America.

Geographic extent
Bounding rectangle
Extent type
Extent used for searching
West longitude -180
East longitude -50
North latitude 85
South latitude -14
Extent contains the resource Yes

Extent in the item's coordinate system
westBL -8854929.337689
eastBL 8855002.940939
southBL -3790768.239624
northBL 11290433.953979
exTypeCode Yes

Resource Points of Contact 

Point of contact - point of contact
Individual's name Dominique Croteau
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
Contact's position Project Lead, Geospatial and Environmental Information

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Point of contact - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Resource Maintenance 

Resource maintenance
Update frequency as needed

Maintenance contact - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Resource Constraints 

Constraints
Limitations of use

This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.


Legal constraints
Limitations of use
This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.

Spatial Reference 

ArcGIS coordinate system
Type Projected
Geographic coordinate reference GCS_WGS_1984
Projection WGS_1984_Lambert_Azimuthal_Equal_Area
Coordinate reference details
ProjectedCoordinateSystem
XOrigin -12749300
YOrigin -12735000
XYScale 353242893.91343015
ZOrigin -100000
ZScale 10000
MOrigin -100000
MScale 10000
XYTolerance 0.001
ZTolerance 0.001
MTolerance 0.001
HighPrecision true
WKT PROJCS["WGS_1984_Lambert_Azimuthal_Equal_Area",GEOGCS["GCS_WGS_1984",DATUM["D_WGS_1984",SPHEROID["WGS_1984",6378137.0,298.257223563]],PRIMEM["Greenwich",0.0],UNIT["Degree",0.0174532925199433]],PROJECTION["Lambert_Azimuthal_Equal_Area"],PARAMETER["False_Easting",0.0],PARAMETER["False_Northing",0.0],PARAMETER["Central_Meridian",-100.0],PARAMETER["Latitude_Of_Origin",45.0],UNIT["Meter",1.0]]

Reference system identifier
Value 37008
Codespace WKID


Spatial Data Properties 

Georectified Grid 
Number of dimensions 2

Axis dimensions properties - column (x-axis)
Dimension size 42457
Resolution
417.126323 m (meter)

Axis dimensions properties - row (y-axis)
Dimension size 36155
Resolution
417.126323 m (meter)

Cell geometry area
Point in pixel center

Transformation parameters are available Yes

Check points are available No

Corner points
Point -8854929.337689 -3790768.239624

Point -8854929.337689 11290433.953979

Point 8855002.940939 11290433.953979

Point 8855002.940939 -3790768.239624

Center point 36.801625 3749832.857177

ArcGIS Raster Properties 
General Information
Pixel depth 4
Compression type LZW
Number of bands 1
Raster format TIFF
Source type discrete
Pixel type unsigned integer
No data value 0
Has colormap No
Has pyramids No

Spatial Data Content 

Image Description
Type of information thematic classification
Attribute described by cell values Wetlands

Band information
Description Band_1
Maximum value 11.000000
Minimum value 1.000000
Units
Symbol m

Number of bits per value 4

Triangulation has been performed No
Radiometric calibration is available No
Camera calibration is available No
Film distortion information is available No
Lens distortion information is available No

Data Quality 

Scope of quality information 
Resource level dataset

Data quality report - Conceptual consistency 
Data quality measure reference
Measure description
The dataset was compiled from various data sources, mostly dating from the 1970s to 1990s. While no explicit data lineage is provided, the dataset is widely used and cited in scientific literature. GLWD-3 is suitable for global-scale modeling and analysis, with a resolution of 30 arc-seconds. The data are considered reliable for identifying general wetland distributions but may not reflect fine-scale or recent wetland changes.

Lineage 

Lineage statement
The GLWD-3 dataset was developed by Bernhard Lehner (World Wildlife Fund US) in collaboration with Petra Döll (University of Kassel) as part of the Global Lakes and Wetlands Database project. It integrates various datasets compiled from the 1970s to 1990s to generate a global raster layer at 30 arc-second resolution, representing lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and wetland types. The methodology and validation process are documented in Lehner & Döll (2004), Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 296, pp. 1–22.

Source data 
Description
Level 3 of the Global Lakes and Wetlands Database (GLWD) comprises lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and different wetland types in the form of a global raster map at 30-sec resolution.

Source medium name online link

Source citation 
Title Global Lakes and Wetlands Database, Level 3
Publication date 2004-07-19 00:00:00

FGDC geospatial presentation format raster digital data

Resource identifier
Value Weltalands_DB_2004

Other citation details
Source: Lehner, B., and P. Döll. 2004. Development and validation of a global database of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands. Journal of Hydrology 296/1-4: 1–22. Global Lakes and Wetlands Database available through World Wildlife Fund (WWF).


Responsible party - originator
Organization's name World Wildlife Fund US

Contact information 
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1250 24th Street NW
City Washington
Administrative area District of Columbia
Postal code 20037
Country US
e-mail addressbernhard.lehner@wwfus.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)http://www.wwfus.org/science/data.cfm

Contact instructions
Contact Person: Bernhard Lehner

Resource location online
Online location (URL)http://www.wwfus.org/science/data.cfm

Distribution 

Distributor 
Contact information - distributor
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Distribution format
Name TIFF
Version ESRI

Transfer options
Units of distribution MB
Transfer size 17.2

Fields 

Details for object na_wetlands.tif.vat 
Type Table
Row count 10
Definition
Wetlands ecosystems

Definition source
Commission for Environmental Cooperation

Field OID 
Alias OID
Data type OID
Width 4
Precision 0
Scale 0

Field description
Internal feature number.

Description source
Esri

Description of values
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.

Field VALUE 
Alias VALUE
Data type Integer
Width 10
Precision 10
Scale 0

Field description
Code to describe the wetland ecosystem.

Description source
Commission for Environmental Cooperation

List of values
Value 1
Enumerated domain value definition source Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Description Lake

Value 2
Enumerated domain value definition source Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Description Reservoir

Value 3
Enumerated domain value definition source Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Description River

Value 4
Enumerated domain value definition source Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Description Freshwater Marsh, Floodplain

Value 6
Enumerated domain value definition source Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Description Swamp Forest, Flooded Forest

Value 7
Enumerated domain value definition source Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Description Pan, Brackish/Saline Wetland

Value 8
Enumerated domain value definition source Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Description Bog, Fen, Mire

Value 9
Enumerated domain value definition source Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Description 50-100% Wetland

Value 10
Enumerated domain value definition source Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Description 25-50% Wetland

Value 11
Enumerated domain value definition source Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Description Wetland Complex (0-25% Wetland)

Range of values
Minimum value 1
Maximum value 11

Field COUNT 
Alias COUNT
Data type Integer
Width 10
Precision 10
Scale 0

Field description
Number of pixels in each wetland class value.

Description source
Commission for Environmental Cooperation 

Metadata Details 

Metadata language English (UNITED STATES)
Metadata character set utf8 - 8 bit UCS Transfer Format

Metadata identifier NAatlas_1.08_metadata

Scope of the data described by the metadata dataset
Scope name dataset

Last update 2004-07-19 

ArcGIS metadata properties
Metadata format ArcGIS 1.0
Standard or profile used to edit metadata ISO19115_3

Created in ArcGIS for the item 2022-07-14 14:29:38
Last modified in ArcGIS for the item 2025-08-28 15:34:27

Automatic updates
Have been performed Yes
Last update 2025-07-30 16:30:32

Metadata Contacts 

Metadata contact - point of contact
Individual's name Dominique Croteau
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
Contact's position Project Lead, Geospatial and Environmental Information

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Metadata contact - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Metadata Maintenance 

Maintenance
Update frequency as needed

Maintenance contact - publisher
Organization's name Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Contact information 
Phone
Voice +1 514 350 4300
Fax +1 438 701 1434
Address
Type physical
Delivery point 1001 Robert-Bourassa Boulevard, Suite 1620
City Montreal
Administrative area Quebec
Postal code H3B 4L4
Country CA
e-mail addressinfo@cec.org
Online resource
Online location (URL)https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/

Metadata Constraints 

Constraints
Limitations of use

None. Acknowledgement of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, the World Wildlife Fund US would be appreciated in products derived from these data.


Legal constraints
Limitations of use
This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator.