VEMAP 1: U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation Grid

One variable, vegetation type, is mapped across the contiguous United States on a 0.5-degree latitude/longitude grid. This dataset provides a physiognomic classification of potential natural vegetation, based on Kuchler's map, for use in biogeochemistry and biogeography model intercomparisons. It is designed to assess ecosystem sensitivity to changing climate and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations (355 ppm).

Use Cases

• Intercomparing biogeochemistry model outputs based on a standardized vegetation classification.
• Testing the sensitivity of vegetation distribution models to altered climate forcing.
• Providing a baseline map of potential natural vegetation for continental-scale ecological studies.
• Analyzing the influence of dominant lifeform and leaf characteristics on biogeochemical dynamics.

Strengths

• Provides a foundational, peer-reviewed classification of vegetation types for model intercomparison.
• Based on Kuchler's detailed potential natural vegetation map, a recognized source in ecology.
• Spatial resolution (0.5-degree grid) is explicitly defined and suitable for continental-scale modeling.

Limitations

• Metadata conflicts exist: 'last updated' dates range from 1990-12-31 to 2026-04 09, indicating possible stale data or platform errors.
• Dataset is limited to a single variable (vegetation type); other drivers must be sourced separately.
• Column names and exact row/record counts are not provided in the available metadata.

Provenance

Source

VEMAP Participants; data derived from Kuchler's potential natural vegetation map provided by the TEM group.

Collection Method

Gridded translation of a physiognomic vegetation classification map.

Time Range

Presumed to represent potential vegetation under late 20th-century climate conditions.

Freshness

2026-04-09 21:10:04.138363

Geography

Contiguous United States.