Southwest Regional GAP Analysis Project - Land Cover Descriptions

Southwest Regional GAP Analysis Project - Land Cover Descriptions
S001
North American Alpine Ice Field
Field Photos
NLCD
Class
Barren Lands Spatial Scale /
Pattern
Large patch
Concept
Summary
This widespread ecological system is composed of unvegetated landscapes of annual/perennial ice and snow and
exposed rock and rubble at the highest elevations, where snowfall exceeds melting. The primary ecological processes
include snow/ice retention and/or decadal movement (active moraines and till), wind desiccation, and permafrost. The
snowpack/ice field never melts or if so, then for only a few weeks. The alpine substrate/ice field ecological system is part
of the alpine mosaic consisting of alpine tundra dry meadow, wet meadow, fell-fields, and dwarf-shrubland.
Range
This ecological system is found throughout North America where altitude results in permanent ice and snow fields, from
the mountains of Alaska south and east through the cordillera of the Cascades and the Rocky Mountains.
Additional
Information
Southwest ReGAP Analysis Project Land Cover Datasets:
NatureServe Explorer (for Ecological System and Alliance information):
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Plants Database:
http://earth.gis.usu.edu/swgap/
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/
http://plants.usda.gov/
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Southwest Regional GAP Analysis Project - Landcover Descriptions
S001
North American Alpine Ice Field
This distribution map represents the Ecological System as it was mapped by the Southwest ReGAP Analysis Project for the 5-state region.
The boundaries represent hydrologic units used for delineating Wildlife Habitat Relationships. Ecological Systems that are rare or have very
limited distributions may not be visible on this map. Refer to the list below to identify where this system was mapped.
States where System was
mapped by SWReGAP:
CO,UT
Distribution Map
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