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Each land cover type can be identified by its unique spectral signature. Each signature is identified by a particular colour on the map. A general colour guide to identify land cover classes is shown below.
Colour Guide
- green colours generally represent coniferous forest
- brownish colours portray more northern coniferous forest
- yellow/orange to reddish colours stand for broadleaf and various
mixed forest classes
- light greenish yellow to beige represent poorly forested land
cover types including wetlands
- bluish colours in the north stand for tundra except for recent
burns which are shown in dark blue in the northern part of the
coniferous forest
- lighter colours in the south portray grassland and developed
land
Detailed descriptions of the land cover classes used on the map are found
in the document:
Origin of the Data
This map is based on satellite data obtained in 1995 by the Advance Very
High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on board the NOAA-14 (National Oceanic
Atmospheric Administration) satellite. To achieve this image, a complicated
data process, which consists of two main phases, is performed. A noise-free
data set is prepared and land cover information is extracted. The spatial
resolution is about 1 kilometre square. This means that one pixel on
the map is equal to one kilometre square on the ground.
Land Cover's Role
Land cover plays an important role in many Earth processes: the absorption
of solar radiation and its use by the ecosystem and the air near
the surface; uptake of carbon dioxide by plants; release of water
vapour to contribute to cloud formation; and others. It is important
information needed by international environmental conventions including
those on climate, biodiversity, and desertification. Land cover
type is the main parameter used in computer models of land ecosystems.
From the economic and management perspectives, land cover is a key
input to resource management and policy decisions.
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