NOAA/Paleoclimatology Vegetation Mapping Page

Vegetation Mapping

Analog vegetation maps for eastern North America.

Description:
These maps are based on 11,700 fossil pollen samples and 1744 modern pollen samples. Twenty-one pollen taxa were included in analyses: Alnus, Fraxinum, Populus, Tilia, Fagus, Betula, Ulmus, Abies, Celtis, Corylus, Tsuga, Carya, Ostrya/Carpinus, Quercus, Pinus, Prairie, Cyperaceae, Picea, Liquidambar, Platanus, and Juglans.

Analog/no anolog vegetation types were assigned to a 100x100km at 1000 year intervals using a three dimensional, time-space, interpolation scheme. To generate maps the paleocoast line/ocean and Laurentide Ice Sheet were overlain to mask out appropriate portions of equal area grid boxes.

Age estimates are based on uncalibrated radiocarbon dates.

Reference:
Overpeck, J.T., R.S. Webb, and T. Webb III. 1992. Mapping eastern North America vegetation change over the past 18,000 years: no-analogs and the future. Geology 20:1071-1074.

Data
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Modern Vegetation

Fossil Vegetation

Latitude/Longitude XY

Variable names and conversion information