Olson's Global Vegetation and Carbon Map, 0.5-Degree

Olson's Major World Ecosystem Complexes database maps 44 land ecosystem types across the globe, ranking them by estimated carbon in live vegetation. Work on this computerized database began in 1960 and was completed in 1980, using preagricultural vegetation patterns and modern surveys. The southern Africa subset helps define the role of the terrestrial biosphere in the global carbon cycle.

Use Cases

• Modeling global carbon storage based on ecosystem-specific biomass estimates.
• Analyzing historical land cover patterns and preagricultural vegetation mosaics.
• Estimating total area for ecosystem complexes like croplands or parks via grid cell counts.

Strengths

• Based on a 20-year research effort (1960-1980) integrating intensive biomass data from research sites.
• Covers 44 distinct land ecosystem complexes, including human-managed types like residential and cropped areas.
• Provides a foundational global map at a 0.5-degree grid cell resolution.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low, with column names, row counts, and exact file sizes unknown across platforms.
• There is a conflict on data freshness: one source lists a last update in 2026, while the authoritative source indicates completion in 1980.
• The dataset's age (completed 1980) means it represents a historical snapshot and may not reflect recent changes.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Derived from patterns of preagricultural vegetation, modern areal surveys, and intensive biomass data from research sites.

Time Range

1960 to 1980

Freshness

1980-12-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Global, with a provided subset for southern Africa.