MapMaster 3

Line indicating the surface position of air at 32°F (0°C)

Average acidity of precipitation in the United States. Lower pH values represent greater acidity.

The pressure of air in the atmosphere, as measured in 4 millibar intervals

Extent of carbonate rocks or predominantly carbonate sequences

Global distribution of aquifers, which are underground layers of water-bearing permeable rock

Areas of the world significantly impacted by acid precipitation

Locations in Sub-Saharan Africa where trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) is endemic

Levels of concern for there to be a decline in soil quality caused by its improper use, usually for agricultural, pastoral, industrial, or urban purposes.

Locations where groundwater systems experience levels of extraction exceeding recharge rates over a limited period of time

The areas that show the greatest concentration of dots have the highest frequency of tornadoes

Global distribution of average annual precipitation

Average January dew points for the contiguous United States

Average July dew points for the contiguous United States

Annual average incidence of hail storms in the contiguous United States

Tornado prevalence in the United States per 1,000 square miles per year

Areas with little or no vegetation

A map showing the largest California wildfires by number of acres burned.

Locations of carbonate rock outcrop patterns in mountainous areas

Locations of outcrops of carbonate rocks, primarily limestone and dolostone

A world map showing carbon dioxide emissions by country in metric tons per year.

Carbon dioxide emissions in metric tons per capita by country

Change in annual average temperature, comparing the 1901-1960 period to the 1986-2016 period.

Change in annual summer temperature, comparing the 1901-1960 period to the 1986-2016 period.

Change in annual winter temperature, comparing the 1901-1960 period to the 1986-2016 period.

This world map shows each country's ability to adapt to climate change's negative effects using GAIN (Global Adaptation Index) This index measures a country's ability to adapt to the negative effects of climate change, including the country's exposure, sensitivity and capacity to adapt. Higher numbers indicate a country is less vulnerable.

The Köppen climate classification is a widely used climate classification system. It divides climates into five main groups, each with multiple subtypes.

Coal production by country in quadrillion BTUs.

The world's oceanic areas that are experiencing pollution, which results in algal blooms, species loss, and destruction of coral reefs

Locations of the continental boundary lines between North America and South America, Africa and Asia, and Europe and Asia

Extent of the world's continental shelves, which are extensions of continents submerged by the oceans

Average annual number of days in North America with heavy fog, where fog has made driving conditions dangerous

Areas of the world experiencing tree cover loss

Locations and capacities of desalinization plants worldwide

Deserts and areas of the world at risk for desertification because of factors such as climate shift, drought, overgrazing, and land degradation. The various classifications were determined by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Percentage of ocean surface comprised of calcium carbonate.

Composition and distribution of ocean sediments.

Locations of U.S. National Weather Service Doppler radars

Areas of the world at risk for future drought. Risk is determined by a combination of environmental factors (e.g., historic drought occurrence), human factors that affect the likelihood of drought exposure (e.g., crop production, grazing, etc.) and social, economic, and infrastructure factors that affect how well a population can cope with drought (e.g., water impoundment and delivery).

Areas in the United States with greater than 1% probability of potentially damaging ground shaking in one year

Time series data showing locations and Richter scale magnitudes of significant earthquakes from 1800 BCE to 2019. Use timeline controls at bottom of the map to display data by time period.

Confirmed and probable cases of Ebola

Extent of the Level I Ecological Regions of North America

Level 2 Ecological Regions of North America. There are more than 50 such regions, which are areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources.

Number of flood events between 1950 and 2020.

Extent of Southeast Asia's forests in 1900

Geologic formations in North America favorable to the location of petroleum

General paths of tropical storms.

Predominant rock type or geological era

Loss of glacial ice between 1961 and 2016 measured using satellite imagery and field observations.

The global mean temperature for January; calculated by averaging daily temperatures (the mean of high and low temperatures) dating from 1880 to the present for a regularly spaced array of continental, oceanic, and Antarctic meteorological stations covering the globe

The global mean temperature for July; calculated by averaging daily temperatures (the mean of high and low temperatures) dating from 1880 to the present for a regularly spaced array of continental, oceanic, and Antarctic meteorological stations covering the globe

Projection of surface temperatures for the 2081–2100 period using the RCP8.5 model, which integrates change in annual mean surface temperature, change in annual mean precipitation, in percentages, and change in average sea level relative to the 1986–2005 period. RCP8.5 represents future change in atmospheric temperature if there is no reduction in cumulative greenhouse gas emissions between 2010 and 2100.

A representation of the annual mean surface temperature, given a worst-case projection based on projected or predicted models of comparatively high greenhouse-gas emissions for surface temperature changes relative to the average temperatures during the late 20th century (2081–2100), using assumptions commonly referred to RCP 8.5 in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) abstracts.

The changing global surface temperature in degrees Fahrenheit since 1880 (when a reasonably global distribution of meteorological stations was established).

General circulation of global winds in January

General circulation of global winds in July

Areas of saline groundwater (> 5 g/l total dissolved solids (TDS)).

Magnitude of habitat fragmentation, caused by agriculture, urban infrastructure, roads, or railroads.

Locations of high- and low-atmospheric pressure at mean sea level during January.

A region where atmospheric pressure at the surface is greater than surrounding areas

A violent, tropical, cyclonic storm of the western North Atlantic, having wind speeds of, or in excess of, 74 miles per hour

High-density waters slowly drift into all oceans. Deep water returns to the surface in localized areas of upwelling and also as gradual, uniform upwelling throughout the ocean basins. Surface currents complete the conveyer by returning water to the source areas.

Average annual levels of solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface

Location of the Intertropical Convergence Zone during January.

Atmospheric pressure at mean sea level for the month of January

Lakes that have been shrinking from climate change, human activities, or combinations of both

Land cover type classifications, including water, evergreen forest, deciduous forest, mixed forest, shrublands, savannas, grasslands, permanent wetlands, urban and built-up, cropland and natural vegetation, snow and ice, and barren or sparsely vegetated

Lightning flashes per square kilometer per year (flashes/km²/year)

A region where atmospheric pressure at the surface is lower than surrounding areas

Dams with a reported storage capacity of 5,000 million cubic meters (5,000,000,000 cubic meters) or more

The world's drainage basins: land areas where surface water converges to a single point

Location of major escarpments, which are steep slopes forming from faulting or erosion

Major karst regions in the world

The global distribution of Earth's landforms, including mountains, shields, plains, basins, ice caps, and isolated areas of volcanic activity

The world's major soil orders

Locations of the world's major waterfalls and cataracts

Areas of elevated occurrence of malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa

Location of mangrove swamps.

Thickness of oceanic sediments.

Average sea-surface temperatures between 1990 and 2020

Locations of terrestrial and marine protected areas

Major natural gas-producing regions in North America

Total annual emissions of nitrogen oxides by country

Ocean depth, in meters

Circulation sinks are source areas for deep water in high-latitude regions where surface water cools, increases in density, and sinks.

Locations of major sedimentary rock formations and loose sands containing petroleum in North America

Generalized historical oil slicks.

Intensity of drought conditions on March 1, 2016

A composite of precipitation anomalies during El Niño from November to March during the following years: 1958, 1966, 1973, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1998, and 2010. Anomalies are the average precipitation differences from the base period 1951–2010. When sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise well above normal, it is known as an El Niño event.

A composite of precipitation anomalies during La Niña from November to March during the following years: 1955, 1956, 1965, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1989, 1999, and 2011. Anomalies are the average precipitation differences from the base period 1951–2010. When sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific drop below normal, it is known as a La Niña event.

Locations of various aquifers in North America, including consolidated rock aquifers, which are made up of mostly volcanic rocks in the Northwest and mostly sandstone and limestone elsewhere; combination aquifers, which are sand and gravel aquifers overlying productive rock aquifers; and productive aquifers, which have a 0.4 liter/second potential

The locations of producing oil fields in North America

Total annual rice production, by country.

Location of the Ring of Fire, a tectonic zone with many active volcanoes and earthquakes

Location of salt marshes.

Our lives depend upon plants and trees. They feed us and give us clothes. They absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen we need to breathe. Plants even provide many of our medicines and building materials. When the plants and trees around us change, these changes can affect our health, our environment, and our economy. For these reasons, and more, scientists monitor plant life around the world. Today, scientists use NASA satellites to map the "greenness" of all Earth's lands. These vegetation index maps show where and how much green leaf vegetation was growing for the time period shown.

Concentrations of chlorophyll-containing phytoplankton, tiny, floating plants that are an important part of the ocean's food chain. When phytoplankton grow in large numbers they make the ocean appear greenish.

Mean extent of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice between 1981 and 2010

Areas vulnerable to a 1-meter rise in sea level

Areas vulnerable to a 2-meter rise in sea level

Areas vulnerable to a 70-meter rise in sea level, given worst-case scenario conditions

Average precipitation between April 1 and September 30

Average precipitation between October 1 and March 31

A composite of sea-surface temperature anomalies during El Niño from November to March during the following years: 1958, 1966, 1973, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1996, and 1998. When sea-surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise well above normal, it is known as an El Niño event.

A composite of sea-surface temperature anomalies during La Niña from November to March during the following years: 1955, 1956, 1965, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1989, and 1999. When sea-surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific drop below normal, it is known as a La Niña event.

Areas of soil degradation where human activities result in high or very high levels of water and wind erosion

Total annual emissions of sulfur dioxide by country

Locations of tectonic hotspots—areas in the mantle where heat rises as a thermal plume from deep in the Earth.

A composite of temperature anomalies during El Niño from November to March during the following years: 1958, 1966, 1973, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1998, and 2010. Anomalies are the average temperature differences from the base period 1951-2010. When sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise well above normal, it's known as an El Niño event.

A composite of temperature anomalies during La Niña from November to March during the following years: 1955, 1956, 1965, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1989, 1999, and 2011. Anomalies are the average temperature differences from the base period 1951-2010. When sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific drop below normal, it's known as a La Niña event.

Also known as the Pacific trash vortex, it is a widely-dispersed area of marine debris in the north-central Pacific Ocean covering 1.6 million square kilometers (618,000 square miles).

Thunderstorm occurrence in North America

Areas of the world affected by tropical cyclones. In the Americas, tropical cyclones are known as hurricanes; in the western Pacific Ocean, they are known as typhoons; and in the Indian Ocean, they are known as cyclones.

Locations of equatorial evergreen broadleaf forests, which are forests that receive high rainfall throughout the year

An elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure, often associated with fronts

Locations in Sub-Saharan Africa where tsetse flies, the potential transmitters of trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), are endemic

Coastal areas at risk of being affected by tsunamis.

Time series map animation showing locations of significant volcanic eruptions from 1800 to 2019. Use timeline controls at bottom of the map to display data by time period.

Time series map animation showing locations of significant volcanic eruptions from 1800 to 2019. Use timeline controls at bottom of the map to display data by time period.

The line delineating the boundary between Australian and Southeast Asian fauna

Measure of projected water stress in the year 2020; water stress is the ratio of total annual water withdrawals to total available annual renewable supply.

Wind direction relative to atmospheric pressure during January.

Direction of ocean currents formed by moving air masses.

Elevation of Earth's surface, including the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.

Tidal patterns throughout the world. A diurnal tidal pattern has one high tide and one low tide each lunar day. A semidiurnal tidal pattern has two high tides and two low tides each lunar day. A mixed tidal pattern may have characteristics of both diurnal and semidiurnal tides. Successive high tides and/or low tides will have significantly different heights.

Locations in Sub-Saharan Africa where yellow fever is endemic