na_level_ii

2
 LakeSuperior  LakeH uron  Lak e  Michigan  Lake  Erie  Hudson Ba  y  Bahia d eHudson  Baie d´H udson Gulf  o f Mexic o Golfo d e   xi co Golfe d u Mexi qu e  LakeOntario Gulfof St. Lawrence  Beau  fortSea  Mard eBe aufort  M erdeBeaufort  A  RCTIC OCEAN OCÉANO ÁRTICO OCÉAN A  RCTIQU  E GreatBearLake  BeringSea  M ardeBering  Mer deBeri ng C     a   l     i       f     o   r   n   i     a   G     o   l       f     o    d     e   GreatSlave  Lake  Lake Winnipeg Smallwood  Reservoir  LakeAthabasca  Reindeer  Lake Great SaltLake  Nettilling  Lake Lake Manitoba Lake Winnipegosis  Dubawnt Lake Réservoir deCaniapiscau  AmadjuakLake PAC  IFIC O C  EAN OCÉ  ANO PAC  ÍFICO OC  É  AN PAC IFIQUE  AT  L  ANTIC OCEAN OCÉ  A  NO AT L  ÁNTICO OCÉ  AN ATL  A  NTIQU  E Golfedu St.  Laurent 6.1 8.5 10.2 13.1 15.3 14.4 14.1 2.1 1.1 8.5 2.1 2.1 2.1 1.1 6.2. 14.4 8.2 13.1 2.1 13.6 5.3 1.1 6.2 13.5 6.1 2.1 1.1 14.2 15.1 13.4 7.1 13.5 14.5    9 .   4 14.6 13.5 8.1 13.2 5.4 9.3 3.4 5.1 10.2 9.2 5.2 2.4 2.1 9.4 10.1 3.4 6.1 3.3 9.2 5.1 5.2 2.3 5.3 2.4 8.3 9.6 8.5 10.2 7.1 2.2 10.1 8.3 8.5 6.2 13.2 7.1 5.1 12.1 6.2 8.4 11.1 2.1 8.1 9.5 2.1 3.2 13.1 10.1 2.1 8.4 1.1 2.2 12.1 2.2 14.4 7.1 12.2 7.1 8.1 2.2 3.1 13.4 4.1 6.2 10.1 13.5 14.3 15.2 13.3 15.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 6.2 2.1 6.2 5.3 3.1 1.1 1.1 8.2 8.3 5.2 2.1 8.1 5.3 1.1 1.1 5.3 15.4 7.1 2.1 14.5 10.2 6.1 14.1 2.2 13.6 8.5 7.1 2.2 2.1 2.4 6.2 13.1 8.3 7.1 15.5 2.4 15.6  ATL AN TIC OCEAN OCÉANOAT  LÁN TICO OCÉ  AN ATLANTIQU  E PACIFIC OC EAN OCÉA NOPACÍFICO OCÉAN PACIF  IQUE  A RCT  IC OCEAN OCÉANOÁ RT  ICO OC ÉA  N ARCTIQUE Gulf of M ex ico Golf o de México Golfe du Me xique  Hudson Bay  BahiadeHudson  Baied´Hudson 10.0 3.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 5.0 7.0 9.0 8.0 11.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 7.0 2.0 13.0 12.0 15.0 14.0 13.0 13.0 12.0 13.0 14.0 14.0 15.0 14.0 13.0 5.0 5.0 10.0 ECOLOGICALREGIONSOFNORTHAMERICA REGION ESECOLÓGIC ASDEAMÉRICADELNORTE RÉGION SÉCOLOGIQU ESDE L'AMÉ RIQUEDUNORD Level I Nivel I Niveau I RegionboundaryLevelI Límite de regionesNivelI Limite de régionsNiveau I Internationalboundary Limite internacional Limite internationale 1.0 ARCTIC CORDILLERA CORDILLERAÁRTICA CORDILLÈRE ARCTIQUE 2.0 TUNDRA TUNDRA TOUNDRA 3.0 TAIGA TAIGA TAÏGA 4.0 HUDSON PLAIN PLANICIEDEHUDSON PLAINED'HUDSON 5.0 NORTHERN FORESTS BOSQUES SEPTENTRIONAL ES FORÊTS SEPTENTRIONALE S 6.0 NORTHWESTERN FORESTED MOUNTAINS MONTAÑAS BOSCOSAS NOROCCIDENTALES MONTAGNES FORESTÈES DUNORD-QUEST 7.0 MARINE WESTCOASTFOREST BOSQUE COSTEROOCCIDENTAL FORÊTMARITIMEDELA CÔTEOCCIDENTALE 8.0EASTERNTEMPERATEFORESTS BOSQUESTEMPLADOSDELESTE FORÊTS TEMPÉRÉES DE L'EST 9.0 GREATPLAINS GRANDES PLANICIES GRANDES PLAINES 10.0 NORTH AMERICAN DESERTS DESIERTOS DE NORTEAMÉRICA DESÉRTSDEL'AMÉRIQUEDUNORD 11.0 MEDITERRANEAN CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIAMEDITERR ÁNEA CALIFORNIE MÉDITERRANÉEN NE 12.0 SOUTHERN SEMI-ARID HIGHLANDS ELEVACIONES SEMIÁRIDAS MERIDIONALES HAUTES TERRES SEMI-ARIDES MÉRIDIONALE S 13.0 TEMPERATE SIERRAS SIERRAS TEMPLADAS SIERRAS TÉMPERÉES 14.0TROPICALDRYFORESTS SELVAS CÁLIDO-SECAS FORÊTS TROPICALES SÈCHES 15.0 TROPICALWETFORESTS SELVAS CÁLIDO-HÚMEDAS FORÊTS TROPICALES HUMIDES 0 200 400 600 800 Mi 0 400 800 1200 Km ProjectionAzimutalde Equi-aire de Lambert ProyecciónAzimultalde Equi-áreade Lambert Lambert A zimuthalEqualArea Projection Échelle EscalaScale COMMISSION FOR ENVIRONMENTALCOOPERATION COMISION PARALA COOPERACION AMBIENTAL COMMISSION DE COOPÉRATION ENVIRONNEMENTALE ECOLOGICAL REGIONS OF NORTH AMERICA REGIONES ECOLÓGICAS DE AMÉRICA DEL NORTE RÉGIONS ÉCOLOGIQUES DE L'AMÉRIQUE DU NORD Level I-II Nivel I-II Niveau I-II 0 200 400 600 800 Mi 0 400 800 1200 Km Lambert AzimuthalEqualArea Projection ProyecciónAzimultalde Equi-áreade Lambert ProjectionAzimutalde Equi-aire de Lambert Scale Escal a Échel le 1:10,000,000 Regionbound aryLevel I LímitederegionesNivel I LimitederégionsNiveauI Regionbound aryLevel II LímitederegionesNivel II LimitederégionsNiveauII International boundary Limitei nternacional Limitei nternationale  1.0 ARCTIC CORDILLERA CORDILLERAÁRTICA CORDILLÈRE ARCTIQUE 1.1ARCTICCORDILLERA CORDILLERAÁRTICA CORDILLÈRE ARCTIQUE 2.0 TUNDRA TUNDRA TOUNDRA 2.1NORTHERNARCTIC ÁRTICOSEPTENTRIONAL ARCTIQUE SEPTENTRIONALE 2.2 ALASKATUNDRA TUNDRADE ALASKA TOUNDRAD'ALASKA 2.3 BROOKS RANGE TUNDRA TUNDRADE LASIERRADE BROOKS TOUNDRADE LASIERRADE BROOKS 2.4 SOUTHERN ARCTIC ÁRTICOMERIDIONAL ARCTIQUE MÉRIDIONALE 3.0TAIGA TAIGA TAÏGA 3.1 ALASKABOREALINTERIOR ALASKABOREALINTERIOR ALASKABORÉALINTÉRIEUR 3.2 TAIGACORDILLERA TAIGAENCORDILLERA TAÏGAENCORDILLÈRE 3.3 TAIGAPLAIN TAIGAEN PLANICIE TAÏGAENPLAINE 3.4TAIGASHIELD TAIGAEN ESCUDO TAÏGAEN BOUCLIER 4.0HUDSONPLAIN PLANICIEDEHUDSON PLAINE D'HUDSON 4.1 HUDSON PLAIN PLANICIE DE HUDSON PLAINE D'HUDSON 5.0NORTHERNFORESTS BOSQUES SEPTENTRIONALES FORÊTS SEPTENTRIONALES 5.1 SOFTWOOD SHIELD BOSQUE DE CONÍFERAS EN ESCUDO FORÊTÀ CONIFÈRES DUBOUCLIER 5.2 MIXED WOOD SHIELD BOSQUE MIXTOEN ESCUDO FORÊTMIXTE DUBOUCLIER 5.3 ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS ELEVACIONES ATLÁNTICAS HAUTESTERRESDE L'ATLANTIQUE 5.4BOREALPLAIN PLANICIE BOREAL PLAINE BORÉALE 6.0 NORTHWESTERN FORESTED MOUNTAINS MONTAÑAS BOSCOSAS NOROCCIDENT ALES MONTAGNES FORESTÈES DU NORD-QUEST 6.1BOREALCORDILLERA CORDILLERABOREAL CORDILLÈRE BORÉAL 6.2 WESTERN CORDILLERA CORDILLERAOCCIDENTAL CORDILLÈRE OCCIDENTALE 7.0 MARINE WESTCOASTFOREST BOSQUE COSTEROOCCIDENTAL FORÊTMARITIME DE LACÔTE OCCIDENTAL E 7.1 MARINE WESTCOASTFOREST BOSQUE COSTEROOCCIDENTAL FORÊTMARITIME DE LACÔTE OCCIDENTALE 8.0EASTERNTEMPERATEFORESTS BOSQUESTEMPLADOSDELESTE FORÊTS TEMPÉRÉES DE L'EST 8.1 MIXED WOOD PLAINS PLAINICIESCONBOSQUEMIXTO PLAINES DES FORÊTS MIXTES 8.2 CENTRALUSAPLAINS PLANICIES CENTRALES DE EUA PLAINES CENTRALES DES É.-U. 8.3 SOUTHEASTERN USAPLAINS PLANICIESSURORIENTALESDEEUA PLAINES DUSUD-ESTDES É.-U. 8.4 OZARK, OUACHITA-APP ALACHIAN FORESTS BOSQUES DE OZARK,OUACHITAYLOS APALACHES FORÊTS D'OZARK,OUACHITAET DES'APPALACHE S 8.5 MISSISSIPPIALLUVIALAND SOUTHEASTUSACOASTALPLAINS PLANICIE SALUVIALESDELMISSISSIPP IYCOSTERADELSEDE EUA PLAINES ALLUV IALES DUMISSISSIPPIETDELACÔTE SEDES É.-U. 9.0 GREATPLAINS GRANDES PLANICIES GRANDES PLAINES 9.2 TEMPERATE PRAIRIES PRADERAS TEMPLADAS PRAIRIES TEMPÉRÉES 9.3 WEST-CENTRALSEMI-ARID PRAIRIES PRADERAS SEMIÁRIDAS CENTRO-OCCIDENTA LES PRAIRIES SEMI-ARIDES CENTRE-OCCIDENT ALES 9.4 SOUTH CENTRALSEMI-ARID PRAIRIES PRADERAS SEMIÁRIDAS CENTRO-MERIDIONA LES PRAIRIES SEMI-ARIDES CENTRE-MÉRIDION ALES 9.5 TEXAS-LOUISIANACOASTALPLAIN PLANICIE COSTERADE TEXAS YLOUISIANA PLAINE DE LACÔTE DUTEXAS-LOUISIANE 9.6 TAMAULIPAS-TEXAS SEMIARID PLAIN PLANICIE SEMIÁRIDADE TAMAULIPAS YTEXAS PLAINE SEMI-ARIDE DE TAMAULIPAS-TEXAS 13.0 TEMPERATE SIERRAS SIERRAS TEMPLADAS SIERRAS TÉMPERÉES 13.1UPPERGILAMOUNTAINS SIERRAS DE LACUENCADELRÍO GILA SIERRAS DUBASSIN DUGILA 13.2 WESTERN SIERRAMADRE SIERRAMADRE OCCIDENTAL SIERRAMADRE OCCIDENTALE 13.3 EASTERN SIERRAMADRE SIERRAMADRE ORIENTAL SIERRAMADRE ORIENTALE 13.4TRANSVERSALNEO-VOLCANICSYSTEM SISTEMANEO-VOLCÁNICOTRANSVERSAL SYSTÈME NÉO-VOLCANIQUE TRANSVERSAL 13.5 SOUTHERN SIERRAMADRE SIERRAMADRE DELSUR SIERRAMADRE DUSUD  13.6 CENTRALAMERICAN SIERRAMADRE AND CHIAPAS HIGHLANDS SIERRAMADRECENTROAMERICANAYALTOSDECHIAPAS SIERRAMADRE D'AMÉRIQUE CENTRALE ETHAUTES MONTAGNES DUCHIAPAS 14.0TROPICALDRYFORESTS SELVAS CÁLIDO-SECAS FORÊTS TROPICALES SÈCHES 14.1 DRYGULFOF MEXICOCOASTALPLAINS AND HILLS PLANICIES COSTERAS YLOMERÍOS SECOS DELGOLFODE MÉXICO PLAINES CÔTIÈRES ETCOLLINES SÈCHES DUGOLFE DUMEXIQUE 14.2 NORTHWESTERN PLAIN OFTHE YUCATAN PENINSULA PLANICIENOROCCIDENTALDELAPENÍNSULADEYUCATÁN PLAINE NORD-OUESTDE LAPÉNINSULE DU YUCATAN 14.3 WESTERN PACIFIC COASTALPLAIN,HILLS AND CANYONS PLANICIE COSTERA,LOMERÍOS YCAÑONES DELOCCIDENTE PLAINE CÔTIÈRE,COLLINES,ETCANONS OCCIDENTAUX 14.4INTERIORDEPRESSIONS DEPRESIONES INTERMONTANA S DÉPRESSIONS INTERMONTAG NES 14.5 SOUTHERN PACIFIC COASTALPLAIN AND HILLS PLANICIE COSTERAYLOMERÍOS DELPACÍFICOSUR PLAINE CÔTIÈRE ETCOLLINES DUPACIFIQUE SUD 14.6 SIERRAAND PLAINS OFELCABO SIERRAYPLANICIES DELCABO SIERRAETPLAINES D'ELCABO 15.0 TROPICALWETFORESTS SELVAS CÁLIDO-HÚMEDAS FORÊTS TROPICALES HUMIDES 15.1 HUMID GULFOFMEXICOCOASTALPLAINS AND HILLS PLANICIE COSTERAYLOMERÍOS HÚMEDOS DELGOLFODE MÉXICO PLAINE CÔTIÈRE ETCOLLINES HUMIDES DUGOLFE DUMEXIQUE 15.2 PLAIN AND HILLS OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA PLANICIE YLOMERÍOS DE LAPENÍNSULADE YUCATÁN PLAINE ETCOLLINES DE LA PÉNINSULE DE YUCATAN 15.3 SIERRALOS TUXTLAS SIERRADE LOS TUXTLAS SIERRADES TUXTLAS 15.4 EVERGLADES EVERGLADES EVERGLADES 15.5 WESTERN PACIFIC PLAIN AND HILLS PLANICIE YLOMERÍOS DELOCCIDENTE PLAINE ETCOLLINES DE L'QUEST 15.6 COASTALPLAIN AND HILLS OFSOCONUSCO PLANICIE COSTERAYLOMERÍOS DELSOCONUSCO PLAINE CÔTIÈRE ETCOLLINES DUSOCONUSCO 10.0 NORTH AMERICAN DESERTS DESIERTOS DE NORTEAMÉRICA DESÉRTS DE L'AMÉRIQUE DUNORD 10.1 COLD DESERTS DESIERTOSFRIOS DESÉRTS FROIDS 10.2 WARMDESERTS DESIERTOS CÁLIDOS DESÉRTS CHAUDS 11.0 MEDITERRANEAN CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIAMEDITERRÁNE A CALIFORNIE MÉDITERRANÉEN NE 11.1 MEDITERRANEAN CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIAMEDITERRÁNEA CALIFORNIE MÉDITERRANÉEN NE 12.0 SOUTHERN SEMI-ARID HIGHLANDS ELEVACIONES SEMIÁRIDAS MERIDIONALE S HAUTES TERRES SEMI-ARIDES MÉRIDIONAL ES 12.1 WESTERN SIERRAMADRE PIEDMONT PIEDEMONTEDELASIERRAMADREOCCIDENTAL PIEDMONTDE LASIERRAMADRE OCCIDENTALE 12.2MEXICANHIGHPLATEAU ALTIPLANICIE MEXICANA HAUTPLATEAUMEXICAIN WILDLIFE HABITATCANADA/HABITATFAUNIQUE CANADA CANADIAN COUNCILON ECOLOGICALAREAS /CONSEILCANADIEN DES AIRES ÉCOLOGIQUES ENVIRONMENTCANADA/ENVIRONNEMENTCANADA CANADIAN PLAINS RESEARCH CENTER,UNIVERSITYOFREGINA,SASKATCHEWAN,CANADA AGRICULTUREANDAGRI-FOODCANADA/AGRICULTUREET AGROALIMENTAIRECANADA ENVIRONMENTALPROTECTION AGENCY,U.S.A. U.S.GEOLOGICALSURVEY,DEPARTMENTOF THE INTERIOR,U.S.A. INSTITUTONACIONALDE ESTADÍSTICA,GEOGRAFÍAE INFORMATICA(INEGI),MÉXICO COMISION NACIONALPARAELCONOCIMIENTOYUSO E LABIODIVERSIDAD (CONABIO),MÉXICO INSTITUTONACIONALDE ECOLOGIA,SEMARNAP,MÉXICO CENTRODE ECOLOGIA,UNIVERSIDAD NACIONALAUTONOMADE MÉXICO INSTITUTODE ECOL OGIA,A.C. XALAPA,MÉXICO Ecolo gicalregio nsare areasofgeneralsimilar ity inecosyste ms andin thetype, quality,and quantity ofenvironmental resources. Theyserveas aspatialframewo rkfor theresear ch,assessme nt, manage ment, and monitor ing of ecosys tems and ecosys tem compo nents .Theyare effe ctivefornatio naland regi onalstateof theenvironment reports,environmental resourceinventories and asses sments, settin g region al resour ce management goals, determiningcarrying capacity,as well as developing biological crit eriaand waterquali tystandar ds.The devel opmen tof aclear under stand ing of regio naland largecontine ntalecosyste ms is criticalforevaluating ecologicalrisk, sustainability ,and health. Themapsshown hererepres enta secon d atte mptto holi stica lly clas sifyand map ecol ogica l regio nsacrossthe NorthAmeri can continent(Commission forEnvironmental Cooperation Working Group ,1997).The mappi ng from 1997 and 2006was buil tupon earl iereffortsthathad begun indi vidua llyin allthreecountrie s (e.g.,Wiken 1986,Omernik 1987).These approachesrecognized the nee d to cons ide r a ful l range of physic al and biotic characteristicsto explain ecosystem regions (Omernik 2004). Equal ly,they recog nized thatthe rela tiveimportanc e of each chara cteris tic variesfrom one ecolog ical regionto another regardless of the h ie ra r chical level. In descri bi ng ecoregionalizati onin Canada,Wiken (1986)stated:  Ecologicalland classific ation i s aprocess ofdelineating and classi fying ecolo gicall y disti nctive areas of the Earth’ s surface. Eac h area can beviewed as a discr etesystem which has resu lted fromthe meshand inte rplayof thegeologic, landform, soil, vegetative, climatic, wildlife, water and humanfacto rswhich may bepresent. Thedominan ceof any oneor a numberof the se fac tor s var ieswith thegiven ecolog ical land un it. Thi s holist ic appro ach to l and classification c an beapplied incrementallyon a scalerelated bas is fro m ver y sit e-s pec ifi c ecosys tems to ver y broad ecosystems. Det ermini ng ecologica l regions at a continent al level is a chal lengi ng task.Itisdifficul t,in part,beca useNorthAmeric ais ecologically diverseand becausea nation’sterritorialboundaries can be a hindrance to seeing and appreciating the perspectives acrossthe land-massof threecountries. Developing and refining aframeworkofNorthAmerican ecologic alregionshasbeen the product of resea rch and consul tation be tween fed eral,state, provi ncialand terri tori al agenc ies.These agenc ies wereoften government depart ments, but the ini tia tive als o involved nongov ernment al groups , univer sities and insti tutes . The Commiss ion for Enviro nmental Cooper ation (CEC) was inst rumen talin bring ing thesegroups toget her.The CEC was established in 1994 byCanada, Mexico,and the United State s to addre ssenvironme ntalconcer nscommon tothe thre e count ries . TheCEC derivesits forma l mandatefrom the NorthAmeri can Agreeme nt on Envi ronment al Cooperation ( NAAEC), the envi ronmen talside accor d to the NorthAmeric an Free Trad e Agreement(NAFTA). Thesemapsrepre senttheworkinggroup ’sbestconsens uson the dist ribut ionand chara cter isti csof majorecosy stemsonall thre e level s throu ghout the three North America n countr ies. The metho dolog y incor porat ed thesepoints in mappi ng ecolo gical regions: •Ecologica lclassifi cati onincorpor atesallmajorcomponents of ecosystems:air,water, land,and biota,including humans. •Itis holis tic(“thewhol eisgreaterthan the sum of itsparts ”). •The numberand rela tiveimport anceoffactorsthatarehelpful in the delin eation p rocessvary from one area to anot her, regardlessof thelevel ofgeneralization. •Ecological classificationisbased onhierarchy—ecosystemsare nest ed withi n ecosy stemsas mappe d, alth oughin real ity,they may notalways nest. Such classif icat ion integrat es knowl edge;it is notan overl ay process. •It recognizesthat ecosystemsare interactive—chara cteristicsof oneecosystem blend withthose ofanother. Map lines depict ing ecolog ical class ificat ion bounda ries generally coincidewith th elocation ofzones oftransition. A Romannumeral hiera rchic al scheme has beenadopted for diff erentlevelsof ecolo gicalregions . LevelI is the coars est level,dividing North America into 15 broad ecologicalregions. Thesehighlig ht majorecologi calareas and pro videthe broad backd rop to theecologi calmosaicof thecontine nt,putting it in con text at glo balor int erc ont ine nta l sca les. The50 Level II ecolo gicalregions thathave been de linea ted areintendedto provi dea moredetail ed descr ipti on ofthe largeecol ogica lareas nest ed withi nthe levelIregions.LevelIIecologic alregionsare usef ul fornationaland subcontine ntaloverviews of ecolo gical pat ter ns.At level III , the contin ent cur rentlycontai ns 182 ecol ogica l regio ns.The levelIIIecological regio n mapdepicts revisionsand subdivisionsof earlierlevel I,II, and IIIecological regio ns (CEC 1997, McMah on et al., 2001,Omernik 1987, USEP A 2006;Wiken1986,Wiken etal.,1996).These small er divisi ons enhance regional environmen tal moni tor ing, asse ssment andreportin g,as wellas decision- makin g. Becau se lev el III regions are sma lle r, the y all ow loc all y def ini ng char acter isti cs to be ident ifie d, and morespecific allyoriente d managementstrategiesto beformulated. LiteratureCited: Commission forEnvironmental Cooperation Working Group, 1997,Ecolo gicalregio nsof NorthAmeri ca– towar d acommon per spe cti ve: Montre al, Commiss ion for Environmen tal Cooperation,71 p. McMa hon,G., Grego nis,S.M.,Waltma n, S.W., Omern ik,J.M., Thors on,T.D.,Freeou f,J.A.,Rorick,A.H.,andKeys,J.E.,2001, Devel opin g a spat ialframewor k ofcommon ecol ogica l regions forthe conterminousUnited States:EnvironmentalManagement, v.28,no.3, p.293-316 . Omern ik, J.M.,1987, Ecore gionsof the conte rmino us Unite d States(map supplement):Annals ofthe Association ofAmerican Geogr apher s,v.77, no.1,p. 118- 125,scale1:7, 500,0 00. Omernik,J.M., 2004,Perspectives onthe natureand definitionof ecologica l regions: Envi ronment al Management , v. 34, Supplement1, p.s27-s38. U.S. Envi ronment al Protec tion Age ncy , 2006 , Level III ecoregionsof thecontinental UnitedStates (revisionof Omernik, 1987): Cor val lis , Ore gon, USEP A Nat ional Heal th and Envir onment al Effe ctsResearchLaborat ory,Map M-1,various scales. Wike n, E.B., 1986,Terrestr ial ecozon es of Canada: Ottawa , Ontar io, Envir onmentCanada,Ecologica l Land Class ific ation Seri esno.19, 26p. Wi ken, E.B. , Gauthi er,D., Mar sha ll,I.B., Lawton, K.,and Hirvo nen,H, 1996,A pers pecti ve on Canad a’secosyst ems:An overviewof theterrestrialand marineecozones: Ottawa,Ontario, CanadianCouncil on EcologicalAreas,Occasional PaperNo. 14, 95 p. north_americaLEVEL_I_II_v10.1.ai 5/26/2006

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8/6/2019 NA_LEVEL_II

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 LakeSuperior

 LakeH uron

 Lak e

 Michigan Lake

 Erie

 Hudson Ba y

 Bahia d eHudson

 Baie d´H udson

G u l f   o  f M e xic o

G o l f o d e Mé  xi co

G o l f e d u M e x i qu e

 LakeOntario

Gulfof St. Lawrence

 Beau fortSea Mard eBe aufort 

 M erdeBeaufort 

 A RCTIC  OCEAN 

OCÉANO ÁRTICO

OCÉAN A RCTIQU  E 

GreatBearLake

 Bering Sea

 M ardeBering Mer deBering

C     a   l     i       f     o   

r   n   i     a   

G     o   l       f     o   

 

d     e   

GreatSlave Lake

 Lake

Winnipeg

Smallwood 

 Reservoir

 LakeAthabasca

 Reindeer Lake

Great SaltLake

 Nettilling Lake

LakeManitoba

LakeWinnipegosis

 Dubawnt Lake

RéservoirdeCaniapiscau

 AmadjuakLake

PAC  IFIC OC EAN 

OCÉ  ANO PAC ÍFICO

OC É  AN PAC IFIQUE 

 AT  L ANTIC OCEAN 

OCÉ  A NO AT  L ÁNTICO

OCÉ  AN ATL A NTIQU  E 

Golfedu St.  Laurent 

6.1

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2.4

15.6

150°0'0"W160°0'0"W170°0'0"W180°0'0"170°0'0"E160°0'0"E

140°0'0"W

140°0'0"W

130°0'0"W 120°0'0"W

120°0'0"W

110°0'0"W

100°0'0"W

100°0'0"W 90°0'0"W

80°0'0"W

80°0'0"W

60°0' 0"W 50°0 '0 "W 4 0°0'0"W 30°0'0"W 20°0'0"W 10°0'0"W

0°0'0"

10°0'0"N

10°0'0"N

20°0'0"N

20°0'0"N

30°0'0"N

30°0'0"N

40°0'0"N

40°0'0"N

50°0'0"N

60°0'0"N

 ATL AN TIC OCEAN 

OCÉANOAT  LÁN TICO

OCÉ  AN ATLANTIQU  E 

PACIFIC OC EAN 

OCÉA NO PACÍFICO

OCÉAN PACIF  IQUE 

 A RCT   IC OCEAN 

OCÉANOÁ RT  ICO

OC ÉA N ARCTIQUE 

Gul f of M ex ico

Golf o de México

Gol fe du  Me x ique

 Hudson Bay

 Bahia deHudson

 Baie d´Hudson

10.0

3.0 2.0

4.0

6.0

5.0

7.0

9.0

8.011.0

3.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

2.0

2.0

2.07.0

2.0

13.0

12.0

15.0

14.0

13.0

13.0

12.0

13.0

14.0

14.0

15.0

14.0

13.0

5.0

5.0

10.0

ECOLOGICALREGIONSOFNORTHAMERICA REGIONESECOLÓGICASDEAMÉRICADELNORTE RÉGIONSÉCOLOGIQUESDE L'AMÉRIQUEDUNORDLevel I Nivel I Niveau I

RegionboundaryLevelILímite de regionesNivelILimite de régionsNiveau I

InternationalboundaryLimite internacionalLimite internationale

1.0 ARCTIC CORDILLERACORDILLERAÁRTICACORDILLÈRE ARCTIQUE

2.0 TUNDRATUNDRATOUNDRA

3.0 TAIGATAIGATAÏGA

4.0 HUDSON PLAINPLANICIE DE HUDSONPLAINE D' HUDSON

5.0 NORTHERN FORESTSBOSQUES SEPTENTRIONALESFORÊTS SEPTENTRIONALES

6.0 NORTHWESTERN FORESTED MOUNTAINSMONTAÑAS BOSCOSAS NOROCCIDENTALESMONTAGNES FORESTÈES DUNORD-QUEST

7.0 MARINE WESTCOASTFORESTBOSQUE COSTEROOCCIDENTALFORÊTMARITIME DE LA CÔTE OCCIDENTALE

8.0 EASTERN TEMPERATE FORESTSBOSQUES TEMPLADOS DELESTEFORÊTS TEMPÉRÉES DE L'EST

9.0 GREATPLAINSGRANDES PLANICIESGRANDES PLAINES

10.0 NORTH AMERICAN DESERTSDESIERTOS DE NORTEAMÉRICADESÉRTS DE L'AMÉRIQUE DUNORD

11.0 MEDITERRANEAN CALIFORNIACALIFORNIAMEDITERRÁNEACALIFORNIE MÉDITERRANÉENNE

12.0 SOUTHERN SEMI-ARID HIGHLANDSELEVACIONES SEMIÁRIDAS MERIDIONALESHAUTES TERRES SEMI-ARIDES MÉRIDIONALES

13.0 TEMPERATE SIERRASSIERRAS TEMPLADASSIERRAS TÉMPERÉES

14.0 TROPICALDRYFORESTSSELVAS CÁLIDO-SECASFORÊTS TROPICALES SÈCHES

15.0 TROPICALWETFORESTSSELVAS CÁLIDO-HÚMEDASFORÊTS TROPICALES HUMIDES

0 200 400 600 800 Mi

0 400 800 1200 KmProjectionAzimutalde Equi-aire de Lambert

ProyecciónAzimultalde Equi-áreade LambertLambert AzimuthalEqualArea Projection

Échelle EscalaScale

COMMISSION FORENVIRONMENTALCOOPERATION

COMISION PARALACOOPERACION AMBIENTAL

COMMISSION DE COOPÉRATIONENVIRONNEMENTALE

ECOLOGICAL REGIONS OF NORTH AMERICA

REGIONES ECOLÓGICAS DE AMÉRICA DEL NORTE

RÉGIONS ÉCOLOGIQUES DE L'AMÉRIQUE DU NORD

Level I-II Nivel I-II Niveau I-II

0 200 400 600 800 Mi

0 400 800 1200 Km

Lambert AzimuthalEqualArea ProjectionProyecciónAzimultalde Equi-áreade LambertProjectionAzimutalde Equi-aire de Lambert

Scale Escala Échelle1:10,000,000

RegionboundaryLevelILímitederegionesNivelILimitederégionsNiveauI

RegionboundaryLevelIILímitederegionesNivelIILimitederégionsNiveauII

International boundaryLimitei nternacionalLimitei nternationale

 1.0 ARCTIC CORDILLERACORDILLERAÁRTICACORDILLÈRE ARCTIQUE

1.1 ARCTIC CORDILLERACORDILLERAÁRTICACORDILLÈRE ARCTIQUE

2.0 TUNDRATUNDRATOUNDRA

2.1 NORTHERN ARCTICÁRTICOSEPTENTRIONALARCTIQUE SEPTENTRIONALE

2.2 ALASKATUNDRATUNDRADE ALASKATOUNDRAD'ALASKA

2.3 BROOKS RANGE TUNDRATUNDRADE LASIERRADE BROOKSTOUNDRADE LASIERRADE BROOKS

2.4 SOUTHERN ARCTICÁRTICOMERIDIONALARCTIQUE MÉRIDIONALE

3.0 TAIGATAIGATAÏGA

3.1 ALASKABOREALINTERIORALASKABOREALINTERIORALASKABORÉALINTÉRIEUR

3.2 TAIGACORDILLERATAIGAEN CORDILLERATAÏGAEN CORDILLÈRE

3.3 TAIGAPLAINTAIGAEN PLANICIETAÏGAEN PLAINE

3.4 TAIGASHIELDTAIGAEN ESCUDOTAÏGAEN BOUCLIER

4.0 HUDSON PLAINPLANICIE DE HUDSONPLAINE D'HUDSON

4.1 HUDSON PLAINPLANICIE DE HUDSONPLAINE D'HUDSON

5.0 NORTHERN FORESTSBOSQUES SEPTENTRIONALESFORÊTS SEPTENTRIONALES

5.1 SOFTWOOD SHIELDBOSQUE DE CONÍFERAS EN ESCUDOFORÊTÀ CONIFÈRES DUBOUCLIER

5.2 MIXED WOOD SHIELDBOSQUE MIXTOEN ESCUDOFORÊTMIXTE DUBOUCLIER

5.3 ATLANTIC HIGHLANDSELEVACIONES ATLÁNTICASHAUTES TERRES DE L'ATLANTIQUE

5.4 BOREALPLAINPLANICIE BOREALPLAINE BORÉALE

6.0 NORTHWESTERN FORESTED MOUNTAINSMONTAÑAS BOSCOSAS NOROCCIDENTALESMONTAGNES FORESTÈES DU NORD-QUEST

6.1 BOREALCORDILLERACORDILLERABOREALCORDILLÈRE BORÉAL

6.2 WESTERN CORDILLERACORDILLERAOCCIDENTALCORDILLÈRE OCCIDENTALE

7.0 MARINE WESTCOASTFORESTBOSQUE COSTEROOCCIDENTALFORÊTMARITIME DE LACÔTE OCCIDENTALE

7.1 MARINE WESTCOASTFORESTBOSQUE COSTEROOCCIDENTAL

FORÊTMARITIME DE LACÔTE OCCIDENTALE

8.0 EASTERN TEMPERATE FORESTSBOSQUES TEMPLADOS DELESTEFORÊTS TEMPÉRÉES DE L'EST

8.1 MIXED WOOD PLAINSPLAINICIES CON BOSQUE MIXTOPLAINES DES FORÊTS MIXTES

8.2 CENTRALUSAPLAINSPLANICIES CENTRALES DE EUAPLAINES CENTRALES DES É.-U.

8.3 SOUTHEASTERN USAPLAINSPLANICIES SURORIENTALES DE EUAPLAINES DUSUD-ESTDES É.-U.

8.4 OZARK, OUACHITA-APPALACHIAN FORESTSBOSQUES DE OZARK,OUACHITAYLOS APALACHESFORÊTS D'OZARK,OUACHITAET DES'APPALACHES

8.5 MISSISSIPPIALLUVIALAND SOUTHEASTUSACOASTALPLAINSPLANICIESALUVIALESDELMISSISSIPPIYCOSTERADELSEDE EUAPLAINES ALLUVIALES DUMISSISSIPPIETDELACÔTE SEDES É.-U.

9.0 GREATPLAINSGRANDES PLANICIESGRANDES PLAINES

9.2 TEMPERATE PRAIRIESPRADERAS TEMPLADASPRAIRIES TEMPÉRÉES

9.3 WEST-CENTRALSEMI-ARID PRAIRIESPRADERAS SEMIÁRIDAS CENTRO-OCCIDENTALESPRAIRIES SEMI-ARIDES CENTRE-OCCIDENTALES

9.4 SOUTH CENTRALSEMI-ARID PRAIRIESPRADERAS SEMIÁRIDAS CENTRO-MERIDIONALESPRAIRIES SEMI-ARIDES CENTRE-MÉRIDIONALES

9.5 TEXAS-LOUISIANACOASTALPLAINPLANICIE COSTERADE TEXAS YLOUISIANAPLAINE DE LACÔTE DUTEXAS-LOUISIANE

9.6 TAMAULIPAS-TEXAS SEMIARID PLAINPLANICIE SEMIÁRIDADE TAMAULIPAS YTEXASPLAINE SEMI-ARIDE DE TAMAULIPAS-TEXAS

13.0 TEMPERATE SIERRASSIERRAS TEMPLADASSIERRAS TÉMPERÉES

13.1 UPPER GILAMOUNTAINSSIERRAS DE LACUENCADELRÍO GILASIERRAS DUBASSIN DUGILA

13.2 WESTERN SIERRAMADRESIERRAMADRE OCCIDENTALSIERRAMADRE OCCIDENTALE

13.3 EASTERN SIERRAMADRESIERRAMADRE ORIENTALSIERRAMADRE ORIENTALE

13.4 TRANSVERSALNEO-VOLCANIC SYSTEMSISTEMANEO-VOLCÁNICOTRANSVERSALSYSTÈME NÉO-VOLCANIQUE TRANSVERSAL

13.5 SOUTHERN SIERRAMADRESIERRAMADRE DELSURSIERRAMADRE DUSUD

 13.6 CENTRALAMERICAN SIERRAMADRE AND CHIAPAS HIGHLANDS

SIERRAMADRE CENTROAMERICANAYALTOS DE CHIAPASSIERRAMADRE D'AMÉRIQUE CENTRALE ETHAUTES MONTAGNES DUCHIAPAS

14.0 TROPICALDRYFORESTSSELVAS CÁLIDO-SECASFORÊTS TROPICALES SÈCHES

14.1 DRYGULFOF MEXICOCOASTALPLAINS AND HILLS

PLANICIES COSTERAS YLOMERÍOS SECOS DELGOLFODE MÉXICOPLAINES CÔTIÈRES ETCOLLINES SÈCHES DUGOLFE DUMEXIQUE

14.2 NORTHWESTERN PLAIN OFTHE YUCATAN PENINSULAPLANICIE NOROCCIDENTALDE LAPENÍNSULADE YUCATÁNPLAINE NORD-OUESTDE LAPÉNINSULE DU YUCATAN

14.3 WESTERN PACIFIC COASTALPLAIN,HILLS AND CANYONSPLANICIE COSTERA,LOMERÍOS YCAÑONES DELOCCIDENTEPLAINE CÔTIÈRE,COLLINES,ETCANONS OCCIDENTAUX

14.4 INTERIOR DEPRESSIONSDEPRESIONES INTERMONTANASDÉPRESSIONS INTERMONTAGNES

14.5 SOUTHERN PACIFIC COASTALPLAIN AND HILLSPLANICIE COSTERAYLOMERÍOS DELPACÍFICOSURPLAINE CÔTIÈRE ETCOLLINES DUPACIFIQUE SUD

14.6 SIERRAAND PLAINS OFELCABOSIERRAYPLANICIES DELCABOSIERRAETPLAINES D'ELCABO

15.0 TROPICALWETFORESTSSELVAS CÁLIDO-HÚMEDASFORÊTS TROPICALES HUMIDES

15.1 HUMID GULFOFMEXICOCOASTALPLAINS AND HILLSPLANICIE COSTERAYLOMERÍOS HÚMEDOS DELGOLFODE MÉXICOPLAINE CÔTIÈRE ETCOLLINES HUMIDES DUGOLFE DUMEXIQUE

15.2 PLAIN AND HILLS OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULAPLANICIE YLOMERÍOS DE LAPENÍNSULADE YUCATÁNPLAINE ETCOLLINES DE LA PÉNINSULE DE YUCATAN

15.3 SIERRALOS TUXTLASSIERRADE LOS TUXTLASSIERRADES TUXTLAS

15.4 EVERGLADESEVERGLADESEVERGLADES

15.5 WESTERN PACIFIC PLAIN AND HILLSPLANICIE YLOMERÍOS DELOCCIDENTEPLAINE ETCOLLINES DE L'QUEST

15.6 COASTALPLAIN AND HILLS OFSOCONUSCOPLANICIE COSTERAYLOMERÍOS DELSOCONUSCOPLAINE CÔTIÈRE ETCOLLINES DUSOCONUSCO

10.0 NORTH AMERICAN DESERTSDESIERTOS DE NORTEAMÉRICADESÉRTS DE L'AMÉRIQUE DUNORD

10.1 COLD DESERTSDESIERTOS FRIOSDESÉRTS FROIDS

10.2 WARMDESERTSDESIERTOS CÁLIDOSDESÉRTS CHAUDS

11.0 MEDITERRANEAN CALIFORNIACALIFORNIAMEDITERRÁNEACALIFORNIE MÉDITERRANÉENNE

11.1 MEDITERRANEAN CALIFORNIACALIFORNIAMEDITERRÁNEACALIFORNIE MÉDITERRANÉENNE

12.0 SOUTHERN SEMI-ARID HIGHLANDSELEVACIONES SEMIÁRIDAS MERIDIONALESHAUTES TERRES SEMI-ARIDES MÉRIDIONALES

12.1 WESTERN SIERRAMADRE PIEDMONTPIEDEMONTE DE LASIERRAMADRE OCCIDENTALPIEDMONTDE LASIERRAMADRE OCCIDENTALE

12.2 MEXICAN HIGH PLATEAUALTIPLANICIE MEXICANAHAUTPLATEAUMEXICAIN

WILDLIFE HABITATCANADA/HABITATFAUNIQUE CANADA

CANADIAN COUNCILON ECOLOGICALAREAS /CONSEILCANADIEN DES AIRES ÉCOLOGIQUES

ENVIRONMENTCANADA/ENVIRONNEMENTCANADA

CANADIAN PLAINS RESEARCH CENTER,UNIVERSITYOFREGINA,SASKATCHEWAN,CANADAAGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD CANADA/AGRICULTURE ET AGROALIMENTAIRE CANADA

ENVIRONMENTALPROTECTION AGENCY,U.S.A.

U.S.GEOLOGICALSURVEY,DEPARTMENTOF THE INTERIOR,U.S.A.

INSTITUTONACIONALDE ESTADÍSTICA,GEOGRAFÍAE INFORMATICA(INEGI),MÉXICO

COMISION NACIONALPARAELCONOCIMIENTOYUSO E LABIODIVERSIDAD (CONABIO),MÉXICO

INSTITUTONACIONALDE ECOLOGIA,SEMARNAP,MÉXICO

CENTRODE ECOLOGIA,UNIVERSIDAD NACIONALAUTONOMADE MÉXICOINSTITUTODE ECOLOGIA,A.C. XALAPA,MÉXICO

Ecologicalregionsare areasofgeneralsimilarity inecosystems

andin thetype, quality,and quantity ofenvironmental resources.

Theyserveas aspatialframeworkfor theresearch,assessment,

management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem

components.Theyare effectivefornationaland regionalstateof 

theenvironment reports,environmental resourceinventories and

assessments, setting regional resource management goals,

determiningcarrying capacity,as well as developing biological

criteriaand waterqualitystandards.The developmentof aclear

understanding of regionaland largecontinentalecosystems is

criticalforevaluating ecologicalrisk, sustainability,and health.

Themapsshown hererepresenta second attemptto holistically

classifyand map ecological regionsacrossthe NorthAmerican

continent(Commission forEnvironmental Cooperation Working

Group,1997).The mapping from 1997 and 2006was builtupon

earliereffortsthathad begun individuallyin allthreecountries

(e.g.,Wiken 1986,Omernik 1987).These approachesrecognized

t he need t o consider a full r ange of phys i ca l and biot i c

characteristicsto explain ecosystem regions (Omernik 2004).

Equally,they recognized thatthe relativeimportance of each

characteristic variesfrom one ecological regionto another

r eg ar dl es s o f t he h ie ra rc hi ca l l ev el . I n d es cr ib in g

ecoregionalizationin Canada,Wiken (1986)stated:

  Ecologicalland classification is aprocess ofdelineating and 

classifying ecologically distinctive areas of the Earth’s

surface. Each area can beviewed as a discretesystem whichhas resulted fromthe meshand interplayof thegeologic,

landform, soil, vegetative, climatic, wildlife, water and 

humanfactorswhich may bepresent. Thedominanceof any

oneor a numberof these factors vari eswi th thegiven

ecological land unit. This holistic approach to land 

classification can beapplied incrementallyon a scalerelated 

basi s f rom very s i te- speci f ic ecosyst ems to very broad 

ecosystems.

Determining ecologi cal r egions a t a cont inenta l l eve l i s a

challenging task.Itisdifficult,in part,becauseNorthAmericais

ecologically diverseand becausea nation’sterritorialboundaries

can be a hindrance to seeing and appreciating the perspectives

acrossthe land-massof threecountries. Developing and refining

aframeworkofNorthAmerican ecologicalregionshasbeen the

product of research and consultation between federal,state,

provincialand territorial agencies.These agencies wereoften

government depar tment s , but t he init i at i ve a l so involved

nongovernmental groups, universities and institutes. The

Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was

instrumentalin bringing thesegroups together.The CEC was

established in 1994 byCanada, Mexico,and the United States to

addressenvironmentalconcernscommon tothe three countries.

TheCEC derivesits formal mandatefrom the NorthAmerican

Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the

environmentalside accord to the NorthAmerican Free Trade

Agreement(NAFTA).

Thesemapsrepresenttheworkinggroup’sbestconsensuson the

distributionand characteristicsof majorecosystemsonall three

levels throughout the three North American countries. The

methodology incorporated thesepoints in mapping ecologicalregions:

•Ecologicalclassificationincorporatesallmajorcomponents of 

ecosystems:air,water, land,and biota,including humans.

•Itis holistic(“thewholeisgreaterthan the sum of itsparts”).

•The numberand relativeimportanceoffactorsthatarehelpful

in the delineation processvary from one area to another,

regardlessof thelevel ofgeneralization.

•Ecological classificationisbased onhierarchy—ecosystemsare

nested within ecosystemsas mapped, althoughin reality,they

may notalways nest.

• Such classification integrates knowledge;it is notan overlay

process.

•It recognizesthat ecosystemsare interactive—characteristicsof 

oneecosystem blend withthose ofanother.

• Map lines depicting ecological classification boundaries

generally coincidewith thelocation ofzones oftransition.

A Romannumeral hierarchical scheme has beenadopted for

differentlevelsof ecologicalregions. LevelI is the coarsest

level,dividing North America into 15 broad ecologicalregions.

Thesehighlight majorecologicalareas and providethe broad

backdrop to theecologicalmosaicof thecontinent,putting it in

cont ext a t globalor in te rcontinent al scal es. The50 Level I I

ecologicalregions thathave been delineated areintendedto

providea moredetailed description ofthe largeecologicalareas

nested withinthe levelIregions.LevelIIecologicalregionsare

useful fornationaland subcontinentaloverviews of ecological

pa tt e rns .At l eve l I I I, t he cont inent current l ycont a ins 182

ecological regions.The levelIIIecological region mapdepicts

revisionsand subdivisionsof earlierlevel I,II, and IIIecological

regions (CEC 1997, McMahon et al., 2001,Omernik 1987,USEPA 2006;Wiken1986,Wiken etal.,1996).These smaller

divi s ions enhance regional envi ronment a l monit oring,

assessment andreporting,as wellas decision-making. Because

l eve l I I I r egions are smal l er , t hey al low loca l ly defin ing

characteristics to be identified, and morespecificallyoriented

managementstrategiesto beformulated.

LiteratureCited:

Commission forEnvironmental Cooperation Working Group,

1997,Ecologicalregionsof NorthAmerica– toward acommon

perspec t ive : Mont rea l , Commission for Envi ronment a l

Cooperation,71 p.

McMahon,G., Gregonis,S.M.,Waltman, S.W., Omernik,J.M.,

Thorson,T.D.,Freeouf,J.A.,Rorick,A.H.,andKeys,J.E.,2001,

Developing a spatialframework ofcommon ecological regions

forthe conterminousUnited States:EnvironmentalManagement,

v.28,no.3, p.293-316.

Omernik, J.M.,1987, Ecoregionsof the conterminous United

States(map supplement):Annals ofthe Association ofAmerican

Geographers,v.77, no.1,p. 118-125,scale1:7,500,000.

Omernik,J.M., 2004,Perspectives onthe natureand definitionof 

ecologi cal r egions : Environmenta l Management, v . 34,

Supplement1, p.s27-s38.

U.S. Environmenta l Prot ect i on Agency, 2006, Level I I I

ecoregionsof thecontinental UnitedStates (revisionof Omernik,

1987) : Corvall i s, Oregon, USEPA – National Healt h and

Environmental EffectsResearchLaboratory,Map M-1,various

scales.

Wiken, E.B., 1986,Terrestrial ecozones of Canada: Ottawa,

Ontario, EnvironmentCanada,Ecological Land Classification

Seriesno.19, 26p.

Wiken, E.B., Gaut hier ,D. , Marshal l , I .B. , Lawt on, K. ,and

Hirvonen,H, 1996,A perspective on Canada’secosystems:An

overviewof theterrestrialand marineecozones: Ottawa,Ontario,

CanadianCouncil on EcologicalAreas,Occasional PaperNo. 14,

95 p.

north_americaLEVE L_I_II_v10.1.ai 5/26/2006