The Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map (CAVM) project at University of Alaska Fairbanks has developed a number of map layers that describe the vegetation across the high north. This map layer shows how scientists have categorized different regions of the Arctic according to different growing conditions.
The Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map (CAVM) project is aninternational effort to map the vegetation and associatedcharacteristics of the circumpolar region, using a common base map. Thebase map is a false color infrared image created from Advanced VeryHigh Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellite data. Get a more detailedoverview at About the CAVM.
Floristic ProvincesFloristic sectors characterize the considerable east-west floristic
variation within the subzones. The more northern Arctic bioclimate
subzones have a relatively consistent core of Arctic plant species that
occur around the circumpolar region. Further south, local east-west
variation is related to a variety of factors, including different
paleohistories and the greater climatic heterogeneity. Large
north-south trending mountain ranges, primarily in Asia, have also
restricted the exchange of species between parts of the Arctic.
Yurtsev (1994) delineated six floristic provinces and 20 subprovinces and discussed their characteristics. The Pan-Arctic Flora project (
Elvebakk et al. 1999)
has accepted Yurtsev's division in principle, but PAF uses the term
"sectors" to replace Yurtsev's "subprovinces" and has grouped the
sectors somewhat differently. The main change is a new North Atlantic
group and the inclusion of Yurtsev's Baffin-Labrador Province as part
of the North Atlantic group. The sectors described here are based on
Elvebakk et al. (1999). Readers interested in panarctic floristic variation within the subprovinces should read
Yurtsev (1994) (highly recommended). (source:
Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map)
View this map in Google Earth