{{Short description|Interactive mapping tool}} {{Italic title}} The '''''North American Environmental Atlas''''' is an interactive mapping tool created through a partnership of government agencies in [[Canada]], [[Mexico]] and the [[United States]], along with the [[Commission for Environmental Cooperation]], a trilateral international organization created under the [[North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation]] (NAAEC). By "mapping [[North America]]'s shared environment", the Atlas depicts environmental issues from a continental perspective.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pasos |first=Mireille |title=North American Environmental Atlas |url=https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Commission for Environmental Cooperation |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Purpose==
The North American Environmental Atlas builds on information created, gathered, and harmonized by government [[scientist]]s and [[cartographer]]s from [[Natural Resources Canada]], the [[United States Geological Survey]], and Mexico's [[Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía]]. Each country's contributing team works closely with their partner agencies in the other countries to ensure seamless and harmonized data.
The Atlas provides a foundation to analyze the status of environmental conditions and identify significant trends across North America. It contains data on [[Drainage basin|watersheds]], terrestrial and marine [[ecoregions]] and protected areas, industrial [[pollution]], human impact, and base layers including transportation and waterways. The Commission for Environmental Cooperation uses these geospatial data to identify priority areas to conserve [[biodiversity]], track cross-border [[pollution]], monitor [[carbon emissions]] across major [[transportation]] routes, and predict the spread of [[invasive species]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=North American Environmental Atlas - ScienceBase-Catalog |url=https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/55118ce4e4b02e76d75b514a |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=www.sciencebase.gov}}</ref>
==Map Information==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Land Cover.jpg|thumb|alt=A sample map.|A map layer showing land cover for the year 2005]] -->
Information included in the Atlas includes accurate, seamless [[map]]s, documentation, and [[geospatial]] data that crosses political borders. This data is displayed as series of interactive map layers in an easy-to-use map viewer format. Most layers in the North American Environmental Atlas are at a [[scale (map)|scale]] of 1:1:10,000,000 or finer.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}
The variety of layers in the Atlas continues to expand in order to support analysis of environmental conditions. Increasingly, data are being made compatible with tools such as [[Google Earth]] and ArcGis On-line/Arc Explorer. The entire collection of maps, data, and downloadable files is available online.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}
== Ecoregions == {{main|List of ecoregions in North America (CEC)}}
== References == <references /> [[Category:Canada–Mexico–United States relations]] [[Category:Atlases]] [[Category:Environment of North America]] [[Category:Natural Resources Canada]] [[Category:United States Geological Survey]]