# North American Environmental Atlas

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Interactive mapping tool

The ***North American Environmental Atlas*** is an interactive mapping tool created through a partnership of government agencies in [Canada](/source/Canada), [Mexico](/source/Mexico) and the [United States](/source/United_States), along with the [Commission for Environmental Cooperation](/source/Commission_for_Environmental_Cooperation), a trilateral international organization created under the [North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation](/source/North_American_Agreement_on_Environmental_Cooperation) (NAAEC). By "mapping [North America](/source/North_America)'s shared environment", the Atlas depicts environmental issues from a continental perspective.[1]

## Purpose

The North American Environmental Atlas builds on information created, gathered, and harmonized by government [scientists](/source/Scientist) and [cartographers](/source/Cartographer) from [Natural Resources Canada](/source/Natural_Resources_Canada), the [United States Geological Survey](/source/United_States_Geological_Survey), and Mexico's [Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía](/source/Instituto_Nacional_de_Estad%C3%ADstica_y_Geograf%C3%ADa). 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 [watersheds](/source/Drainage_basin), terrestrial and marine [ecoregions](/source/Ecoregions) and protected areas, industrial [pollution](/source/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](/source/Biodiversity), track cross-border [pollution](/source/Pollution), monitor [carbon emissions](/source/Carbon_emissions) across major [transportation](/source/Transportation) routes, and predict the spread of [invasive species](/source/Invasive_species).[2]

## Map Information

Information included in the Atlas includes accurate, seamless [maps](/source/Map), documentation, and [geospatial](/source/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](/source/Scale_(map)) of 1:1:10,000,000 or finer.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

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](/source/Google_Earth) and ArcGis On-line/Arc Explorer. The entire collection of maps, data, and downloadable files is available online.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Ecoregions

Main article: [List of ecoregions in North America (CEC)](/source/List_of_ecoregions_in_North_America_(CEC))

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Pasos, Mireille. ["North American Environmental Atlas"](https://www.cec.org/north-american-environmental-atlas/). *Commission for Environmental Cooperation*. Retrieved 2024-02-20.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["North American Environmental Atlas - ScienceBase-Catalog"](https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/55118ce4e4b02e76d75b514a). *www.sciencebase.gov*. Retrieved 2024-02-20.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [North American Environmental Atlas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Environmental_Atlas) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Environmental_Atlas?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.