Montane Forests and the Cultural Landscape of the Desert Ice Age Lakes, Historic Trails, and Nevada’s Yosemite I. Map Focus Area: 40 to 43 degrees North, 111 to 121 degrees West II. Countries and Subdivisions (States):  United States (California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah) III.  Overview The most important event influencing the northeastern Great Basin … More Great Basin Shrub-Steppe, Northern Portion, Part I

Soft-bodied fossils, tree clones, and the California Trail Map Focus Area: 40 to 43 degrees North, 110 to 112 degrees East Countries and Subdivisions (States):  United States (Idaho, Utah, Wyoming) This post includes the Uinta Mountains, northern Wasatch Mountains, and adjoining high plateaus to the east.  The World Wildlife Fund ecoregions are Colorado Plateau shrub-steppe … More Wasatch, Uinta, and Bear River Mountains

Temperate Grasslands,  Savannas, and Shrublands Daurian forest-steppe (PA804).  This mostly grassland area supports scattered forests of birch and willow.  Found in the East Aimag, Khentii Aimag, and Zabaykalsky Krai in the map area.  There are three Ramsar sites, one of which is also a Biosphere Reserve.  The Khurkh-Kuiten River Valley, Khentii Aimag (24) is a Ramsar site which consists of lakes along a … More Mongolian Grasslands, Jehol Fossil Beds, and Daurian Flora, Part 3: Grasslands

Overview of the Natural Landscape The focus area between 40 degrees and 50 degrees latitude makes the transition between warm temperate deciduous forests in the southeast and dry grasslands and boreal forests in the northwest. The dense human population has impacted this landscape for thousands of years, but many valuable near-natural landscapes remain.  This transition … More Mongolian Grasslands, Jehol Fossil Beds, and Daurian Flora, Part 2: Forests

Dinosaurs and feathers, the home of Genghis Khan, and Xanadu I. Map Focus Area: 40 to 50 degrees North; 110 to 121 degrees East II. Countries and Subdivisions (Provinces, States, Regions, or Districts):  China (Beijing Municipality, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Shanxi, Tianjin Municipality), Mongolia (East Aimag , East Gobi, Khentii, Sukhbaatar), Russia (Zabaykalsky Krai). The large … More Mongolian Grasslands, Jehol Fossil Beds, and Daurian Flora, Part I: Jehol

Where the Appalachians Meet the Sea Map boundaries: 40 to 50 degrees North; 55 to 66 degrees West Countries: Canada (New Brunswick (part), Newfoundland and Labrador (part), Nova Scotia (part), Prince Edward Island, Quebec (part); France (St.-Pierre and Miquelon). Overview The map area includes the Canadian provinces bordering the Gulf of St. Lawrence—New Brunswick, Newfoundland … More Gulf of St. Lawrence and Bay of Fundy

A Marine Mammal Area of Global Significance Map of the Month: Valdes, Patagonian Coast and Patagonian Shelf Map boundaries: 40 to 50 degrees South; 55 to 66 degrees West Country: Argentina (The map area includes the administrative part of Buenos Aires province in Patagonia, coastal Rio Negro and Chubut provinces, and Cape Blanco of Santa … More Valdes and the Patagonian Coast

Map of the Month: Aral Sea, Golden Age Lake, and Irgiz-Turgay Basin Map boundaries: 40 to 50 degrees North; 55 to 66 degrees East Countries: Kazakhstan (Aktobe, Atyrau, Karagandy, Kostanay, Kyzylorda, and Mangystau), Russia (Baykonur), Turkmenistan (Ahal, Balkan, Dashoguz, and Lebap), and Uzbekistan (Bukhara, Karakalpakstan Republic, Samarqand, and Xorezm) Overview The central Asian desert landscapes … More Aral Sea (former) and Golden Age Lake (future)