The Global Environmental Stratification: A high-resolution bioclimate map of the world

• Main Author: Metzger, Marc J
• Other Authors: European Commission, Metzger, Marc
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: The University of Edinburgh 2018
• Subjects: environmental stratification; global climate classification; bioclimate indicators; Physical Sciences::Geographical Information Systems; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10283/3089; https://doi.org/10.7488/ds/2354

The Global Environmental Stratification (GEnS) is a statistically derived global bioclimate classification, providing a novel global spatial framework for the integration and analysis of ecological and environmental data. The dataset distinguishes 125 strata that are relatively homogeneous in bioclimatic conditions and can be aggregated into 18 environmental zones. The GEnS is available as a raster and vector spatial dataset for use with a Geographical Information System, and has a 30 arcsec resolution (equivalent to 0.86 km2 at the equator). The GEnS provides a robust spatial analytical framework for the aggregation of local observations, identification of gaps in current monitoring efforts and systematic design of complementary and new monitoring and research. The classification procedure is described in: Metzger M.J., Bunce R.G.H, Jongman R.H.G, Sayre R., Trabucco A., Zomer R. (2013). "A high-resolution bioclimate map of the world: a unifying framework for global biodiversity research and monitoring". Global Ecology and Biogeography 22: 630-638 - https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12022 This dataset contains: 1) GenSv3.zip - The ESRI shapefile, ESRI grid and GeoTiff files for the global environmental stratification, as published Global Ecology and Biogeography. NOTE The data provided here are not projected, ie they have a geographic latitude-longitude coordinate system. While the grid has a colormap that displays the legend discussed in the paper, the shapefile does not have a separate legend file. 2) SourceDataGEnS.zip - GeoTiff grids of the 42 bioclimate variables that were considered for the GEnS, as described in Metzger et al. 2013, and listed in Appendix S1 of that publication. var4, var12, var36, and var37 were used to create the GEnS 3) prin_components.zip - GeoTiff files of 4 principal components components that we clustered to create the GEnS