Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation

The Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map (CAVM) shows the types of vegetation that occur across the Arctic between the ice-covered Arctic Ocean to the north and the northern limit of forests to the south. Environmental and climatic conditions are extreme, with a short growing season and low summer temperatures. The region supports plants that grow close to the ground such as dwarf shrubs, herbs, lichens, and mosses.

Moving southward (outward from the map's center in all directions), the amount of warmth available for plant growth increases considerably. Warmer summer temperatures cause the size, abundance, and variety of plants to increase. The reverse side of the vegetation map has extensive descriptive information and nine maps of other elements in the GIS database including bioclimate subzones, floristic provinces, substrate pH, landscape type, elevation, lake cover, and plant biomass.

The colors on the map indicate the differences that occur in the general outward appearance of vegetation (physiognomy). The CAVM team grouped more than 400 described plant communities into 15 physiognomic units based on plant growth forms. An international team of arctic vegetation scientists representing the six countries of the Arctic—Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, and the United States—prepared the map.