LDAS Logo
Land Surface Parameters

LDAS Vegetation Parameter Illustrations and Data Sets



This is the offical LDAS vegetation data page. The datasets located below are being considered for use in the LDAS project. Another vegetation page is available which contains data sets which are useful but will not play a role in LDAS simulations.

The NON-ADJUSTED UMD and IGBP 1/8th degree data sets are based solely on 1km UMD and IGBP vegetation data. Fractional coverage amounts were arrived at by first counting up the number of occurrences of a particular type of vegetation (1km scale) within an 1/8th degree grid box, and then dividing this number by the total number of 1km pixels in an 1/8th degree box.

The ADJUSTED 1/8th degree data sets are based both on the 1km UMD or IGBP data, and on a 1km fractional vegetation coverage data set from Bob Dickinson's group which contains the maximum vegetation fraction over a seasonal cycle. Instead of simply dividing the total number of occurrences of a particular type of vegetation (at 1km) in an 1/8th degree box by the total number of 1km pixels in that box, each occurrence of the vegetation type is first multiplied by Dickinson's fractional coverage at the 1km scale. These fractional 1km vegetation values are then summed up to 1/8th degree scale to create an adjusted number of occurrences of that particular type of vegetation in an 1/8th degree box (now a real number, not an integer). The bare soil fractions of each pixel are also kept track of and added up with the pixels specified in the UMD and IGBP data sets as "Bare Soil" or "Barren" to create a total count of "Bare Soil" or "Barren" 1km pixels in an 1/8th degree box (again, a real number, not an integer now). As before, these numbers are then divided by the total number of 1km pixels in the 1/8th degree box to arrive at the final product--fractional coverage of the particular type of vegetation and "Bare Soil" or "Barren" land in an 1/8th degree grid box. The use of Dickinson's data set has the effect of creating larger percentages of "Bare Soil" and "Barren" areas (which can be seen in the plots below).

The first four or five plots of each data set display the percent of each LDAS grid box occupied by each of the 14 UMD or 17 IGBP vegetation categories and were constructed as described above. In order to create the land/sea masks on this page, the percent coverage of water in each LDAS grid box was used such that grid boxes made up of more than 50% water were assigned a "water" value of 0 in the LDAS land/sea mask, while all other grid boxes recieved a "land" value of 1. The fractional coverage values in all four vegetation data sets enabled the creation of the LDAS predominant vegetation datasets. These datasets contain, for each vegetation classification scheme, the four most predominant vegetation types in each 1/8th degree grid box. While the "predominant vegetation type" plots and data sets have each been rectified to the unified land/sea mask created from the original UMD data, all of the other plots, and all of the other data files are based on masks from their respective data sets. Therefore, the native land/sea mask plot are provided for each data set.

LDAS Unified Mask

The image and data files in this section are different forms of the LDAS unified mask and are based on unadjusted UMD vegetation data. Other land/sea masks are located on this site and are each based on their respective vegetation data sets (i.e. UMD, adjusted UMD, IGBP, adjusted IGBP); however, only the unified mask contained in this section should be used in LDAS modelling efforts.

LDAS unified 1/8th degree land/sea mask for the North American Domain LDAS Unified Land/Sea Mask
(Use Right Mouse Button to Download)

LDAS Unified Land/Sea Mask (Binary) UMDunifiedmask.bin
This file contains the LDAS unified land/sea mask in binary format. You will need readbin5.f to read the file.

LDAS Unified Land/Sea Mask (Ascii) UMDunifiedmask.asc
This ascii file contains the LDAS unified land/sea mask in the following format:
Column 1 Grid Column Number
Column 2 Grid Row Number
Column 3 Latitude
Column 4 Longitude
Column 5 Mask Value (0=Water, 1=Land)

LDAS UMD Illustrations

LDAS UMD fractional vegetation coverage values for water, evergreen needleleaf, evergreen broadleaf and deciduous needleleaf landcover classes. Water and evergreen needleleaf occur over much of the domain while evergreen broadleaf only occurs over extreme southern portions of the domain, and deciduous needleleaf is absent from the domain altogether. UMD Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 0-3)

LDAS UMD fractional vegetation coverage values for deciduous broadleaf, mixed forest, woodland and wooded grassland. Woodland and wooded grassland cover much of the domain, while deciduous broadleaf and mixed forest are mainly concentrated in the eastern half of the domain. UMD Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 4-7)

LDAS UMD fractional vegetation coverage values for closed shrubland, open shrubland, grassland and cropland. Grassland and cropland cover much of the domain, while closed and open shrubland are mainly concentrated in the western half of the domain. UMD Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 8-11)

LDAS UMD fractional vegetation coverage values for bare ground and urban/built-up clases. Bare ground is mainly concentrated over western regions of the domain, while urban/built-up is most evident over eastern regions of the domain. UMD Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 12-13)

LDAS UMD-based 1/8th degree land/sea mask for the North American Domain UMD Land/Sea Mask

1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th most predominant 1km UMD vegetation classes in each 1/8th degree LDAS gridbox over the LDAS domain. Broadleaf deciduous dominates the east, grasslands are common in the central US and shrublands are common in western sections. Coverage decreases as one heads from 1st to 4th most predominant plots, since some 1/8th degree gridboxes may contain only 1 (or 2 or 3) type (types) of 1km vegetation. LDAS UMD Predominant Vegetation Types


LDAS UMD Data Sets

(Use Right Mouse Button to Download)

LDAS Predominant UMD Vegetation Type (Binary) UMDpveg.bin
This file contains the predominant UMD vegetation type in binary format. You will need readbin6.f to read the file.
NOTE: UMDpveg.bin has changed to account for incorrect categories ( Now 0 - 13 instead of 1 - 14 to match those in the following table ). The original file is located here: UMDpveg.bin.orig

Frequency of Occurrence ofUMD Vegetation Types (Ascii) UMD_LDAS.txt
This ascii file lists the frequency with which each of the 14 UMD vegetation types occurs in each of the 1/8th degree LDAS grid boxes. The file is formatted as follows:
Column 1 Grid Column Number
Column 2 Grid Row Number
Column 3 Latitude
Column 4 Longitude
Column 5 Total Number of 1km Pixels in 1/8th Degree Grid Box
Column 6 Frequency of Water (And Goode's Interrupted Space) (Category 0)
Column 7 Frequency of Evergreen Needleleaf Forest(Category 1)
Column 8 Frequency of Evergreen Broadleaf Forest (Category 2)
Column 9 Frequency of Deciduous Needleleaf Forest (Category 3)
Column 10 Frequency of Deciduous Broadleaf Forest (Category 4)
Column 11 Frequency of Mixed Cover (Category 5)
Column 12 Frequency of Woodland (Category 6)
Column 13 Frequency of Wooded Grassland (Category 7)
Column 14 Frequency of Closed Shrubland (Category 8)
Column 15 Frequency of Open Shrubland (Category 9)
Column 16 Frequency of Grassland (Category 10)
Column 17 Frequency of Cropland (Category 11)
Column 18 Frequency of Bare Ground (Category 12)
Column 19 Frequency of Urban and Built-Up (Category 13)



LDAS UMD Illustrations (With Fractional Vegetation Adjustment)

LDAS adjusted UMD fractional vegetation coverage values for water, evergreen needleleaf, evergreen broadleaf and deciduous needleleaf landcover classes. Water and evergreen needleleaf occur over much of the domain while evergreen broadleaf only occurs over extreme southern portions of the domain, and deciduous needleleaf is absent from the domain altogether. Adjusted UMD Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 0-3)

LDAS adjusted UMD fractional vegetation coverage values for deciduous broadleaf, mixed forest, woodland and wooded grassland. Woodland and wooded grassland cover much of the domain, while deciduous broadleaf and mixed forest are mainly concentrated in the eastern half of the domain. Adjusted UMD Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 4-7)

LDAS adjusted UMD fractional vegetation coverage values for closed shrubland, open shrubland, grassland and cropland. Grassland and cropland cover much of the domain, while closed and open shrubland are mainly concentrated in the western half of the domain. Adjusted UMD Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 8-11)

LDAS UMD fractional vegetation coverage values for bare ground and urban/built-up clases. Bare ground is much more prevalent in this adjusted UMD plot than in the unadjusted/standard UMD plot, but it is still mainly concentrated over western regions of the domain. Urban/built-up is most evident over eastern regions of the domain. Adjusted UMD Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 12-13)

LDAS adjusted UMD-based 1/8th degree land/sea mask for the North American Domain Adjusted UMD Land/Sea Mask

1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th most predominant 1km adjusted UMD vegetation classes in each 1/8th degree LDAS gridbox over the LDAS domain. Broadleaf deciduous dominates the east, grasslands are common in the central US and shrublands are common in western sections. Coverage decreases as one heads from 1st to 4th most predominant plots, since some 1/8th degree gridboxes may contain only 1 (or 2 or 3) type (types) of 1km vegetation. Bare ground is much more prevalent in this data set than in the unadjusted/standard UMD data set, especially in western sections of the domain. Adjusted UMD Predominant Vegetation Types


LDAS UMD Data Sets (With Fractional Vegetation Adjustment)

(Use Right Mouse Button to Download)

LDAS Predominant Adjusted UMD Vegetation Type (Binary) UMDvfcpveg.bin
This file contains the predominant Adjusted UMD vegetation type in binary format. You will need readbin8.f to read the file.
NOTE: UMDvfcpveg.bin has changed to account for incorrect categories ( Now 0 - 13 instead of 1 - 14 to match those in the following table ). The original file is located here: UMDvfcpveg.bin.orig

Frequency of Occurrence of Adjusted UMD Vegetation Types (Ascii) UMD_LDASvfc.txt
This ascii file lists the frequency with which each of the 14 Adjusted UMD vegetation types occurs in each of the 1/8th degree LDAS grid boxes. The file is formatted as follows:
Column 1 Grid Column Number
Column 2 Grid Row Number
Column 3 Latitude
Column 4 Longitude
Column 5 Total Number of 1km Pixels in 1/8th Degree Grid Box
Column 6 Vegetation Fraction
Column 7 Frequency of Water (And Goode's Interrupted Space) (Category 0)
Column 8 Frequency of Evergreen Needleleaf Forest(Category 1)
Column 9 Frequency of Evergreen Broadleaf Forest (Category 2)
Column 10 Frequency of Deciduous Needleleaf Forest (Category 3)
Column 11 Frequency of Deciduous Broadleaf Forest (Category 4)
Column 12 Frequency of Mixed Cover (Category 5)
Column 13 Frequency of Woodland (Category 6)
Column 14 Frequency of Wooded Grassland (Category 7)
Column 15 Frequency of Closed Shrubland (Category 8)
Column 16 Frequency of Open Shrubland (Category 9)
Column 17 Frequency of Grassland (Category 10)
Column 18 Frequency of Cropland (Category 11)
Column 19 Frequency of Bare Ground (Category 12)
Column 20 Frequency of Urban and Built-Up (Category 13)

LDAS IGBP Illustrations

LDAS IGBP fractional vegetation coverage values for evergreen needleleaf, evergreen broadleaf, deciduous needleleaf and deciduous broadleaf. Evergreen needleleaf occurs over much of the domain while evergreen broadleaf only occurs over extreme southern portions of the domain. Deciduous broadleaf occurs mainly over eastern portions of the domain, while deciduous needleleaf is absent from the domain altogether. IGBP Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 1-4)

LDAS IGBP fractional vegetation coverage values for mixed forests, closed shrublands, open shrublands and woody savanna. Mixed forest occurs mainly in northeastern sections, closed shrublands appear mainly over the northern reaches of the domain, open shrublands are concentrated over western regions, and woody savannas appear over the southern half of the domain. IGBP Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 5-8)

LDAS IGBP fractional vegetation coverage values for savannas, grasslands, permanent wetlands and croplands. Grasslands are concentrated in western areas, croplands are present across the entire domain with a heavy concentration in mid-western regions, permanent wetlands are located in the extreme northwest, northeast and southeast corners of the domain, and savannas are generally located in the California region. IGBP Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 9-12)

LDAS IGBP fractional vegetation coverage values for urban/built-up, cropland/natural vegetation mosaic, snow/ice and barren categories. Most urban areas are located in the eastern half of the domain, while cropland/natural vegetation mosaic is located in the eastern and northcentral areas. Snow/ice is limited to the Rocky Mountains, while the barren class is mostly present in the western arid regions of the domain. IGBP Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 13-16)

LDAS IGBP fractional vegetation coverage values for water bodies. This class spread over the entire domain, but is concentrated in the northeastern section. IGBP Vegetation Fractional Coverage (Category 17)

LDAS IGBP-based 1/8th degree land/sea mask for the North American Domain IGBP Land/Sea Mask

1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th most predominant 1km IGBP vegetation classes in each 1/8th degree LDAS gridbox over the LDAS domain. Broadleaf deciduous dominates the east, grasslands and croplands are common in the central US and shrublands are common in western sections. Coverage decreases as one heads from 1st to 4th most predominant plots, since some 1/8th degree gridboxes may contain only 1 (or 2 or 3) type (types) of 1km vegetation. LDAS IGBP Predominant Vegetation Types


LDAS IGBP Data Sets

* Use Right Mouse Button to Download * Point (1,1) Located at Lower Left of LDAS Grid *

LDAS Predominant IGBP Vegetation Type (Binary) IGBPpveg.bin
This file contains the predominant IGBP vegetation type in binary format. You will need readbin2.f to read the file.

Frequency of Occurrence of IGBP Vegetation Types (Ascii) IGBP_LDAS.txt
This ascii file lists the frequency with which each of the 17 IGBP vegetation types occurs in each of the 1/8th degree LDAS grid boxes. The file is formatted as follows:
Column 1 Grid Column Number
Column 2 Grid Row Number
Column 3 Latitude
Column 4 Longitude
Column 5 Total Number of 1km Pixels in 1/8th Degree Grid Box
Column 6 Frequency of Evergreen Needleleaf Forest (Category 1)
Column 7 Frequency of Evergreen Broadleaf Forest (Category 2)
Column 8 Frequency of Deciduous Needleleaf Forest (Category 3)
Column 9 Frequency of Deciduous Broadleaf Forest (Category 4)
Column 10 Frequency of Mixed Forest (Category 5)
Column 11 Frequency of Closed Shrublands (Category 6)
Column 12 Frequency of Open Shrublands (Category 7)
Column 13 Frequency of Woody Savannah (Category 8)
Column 14 Frequency of Savannahs (Category 9)
Column 15 Frequency of Grasslands (Category 10)
Column 16 Frequency of Permanent Wetlands (Category 11)
Column 17 Frequency of Croplands (Category 12)
Column 18 Frequency of Urban and Built-Up (Category 13)
Column 19 Frequency of Cropland / Natural Vegetation Mosaic (Category 14)
Column 20 Frequency of Snow and Ice (Category 15)
Column 21 Frequency of Barren or Sparsely Vegetated (Category 16)
Column 22 Frequency of Water Bodies (Category 17)



LDAS IGBP Illustrations (With Fractional Vegetation Adjustment)

LDAS adjusted IGBP fractional vegetation coverage values for evergreen needleleaf, evergreen broadleaf, deciduous needleleaf and deciduous broadleaf. Evergreen needleleaf occurs over much of the domain while evergreen broadleaf only occurs over extreme southern portions of the domain. Deciduous broadleaf occurs mainly over eastern portions of the domain, while deciduous needleleaf is absent from the domain altogether. Adjusted IGBP Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 1-4)

LDAS adjusted IGBP fractional vegetation coverage values for mixed forests, closed shrublands, open shrublands and woody savanna. Mixed forest occurs mainly in northeastern sections, closed shrublands appear mainly over the northern reaches of the domain, open shrublands are concentrated over western regions, and woody savannas appear over the southern half of the domain. Adjusted IGBP Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 5-8)

LDAS adjusted IGBP fractional vegetation coverage values for savannas, grasslands, permanent wetlands and croplands. Grasslands are concentrated in western areas, croplands are present across the entire domain with a heavy concentration in mid-western regions, permanent wetlands are located in the extreme northwest, northeast and southeast corners of the domain, and savannas are generally located in the California region. Adjusted IGBP Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 9-12)

LDAS adjusted IGBP fractional vegetation coverage values for urban/built-up, cropland/natural vegetation mosaic, snow/ice and barren categories. Most urban areas are located in the eastern half of the domain, while cropland/natural vegetation mosaic is located in the eastern and northcentral areas. Snow/ice is limited to the Rocky Mountains. The barren class is present over the entire domain at concentrations much greater than seen in the standard/non-adjusted IGBP data, but is still concentrated mostly in the western arid regions of the domain. Adjusted IGBP Vegetation Fractional Coverages (Categories 13-16)

LDAS adjusted IGBP fractional vegetation coverage values for water bodies. This class spread over the entire domain, but is concentrated in the northeastern section. Adjusted IGBP Vegetation Fractional Coverage (Category 17)

LDAS adjusted IGBP-based 1/8th degree land/sea mask for the North American Domain Adjusted IGBP Land/Sea Mask

1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th most predominant 1km adjusted IGBP vegetation classes in each 1/8th degree LDAS gridbox over the LDAS domain. Broadleaf deciduous dominates the east, grasslands and croplands are common in the central US and shrublands are common in western sections. Coverage decreases as one heads from 1st to 4th most predominant plots, since some 1/8th degree gridboxes may contain only 1 (or 2 or 3) type (types) of 1km vegetation. Concentrations of the barren class are much greater in the adjusted IGBP data than in the standard/non-adjusted data Adjusted IGBP Predominant Vegetation Types


LDAS IGBP Data Sets (With Fractional Vegetation Adjustment)

* Use Right Mouse Button to Download * Point (1,1) Located at Lower Left of LDAS Grid *

Predominant Adjusted IGBP Vegetation Type (Binary) IGBPvfcpveg.bin
This file contains the predominant Adjusted IGBP vegetation type in binary format. You will need readbin4.f to read the file.

Frequency of Occurrence of Adjusted IGBP Vegetation Types (Ascii) IGBP_LDASvfc.txt
This ascii file lists the frequency with which each of the 17 Adjusted IGBP vegetation types occurs in each of the 1/8th degree LDAS grid boxes. The file is formatted as follows:
Column 1 Grid Column Number
Column 2 Grid Row Number
Column 3 Latitude
Column 4 Longitude
Column 5 Total Number of 1km Pixels in 1/8th Degree Grid Box
Column 6 Vegetation Fraction
Column 7 Frequency of Evergreen Needleleaf Forest (Category 1)
Column 8 Frequency of Evergreen Broadleaf Forest (Category 2)
Column 9 Frequency of Deciduous Needleleaf Forest (Category 3)
Column 10 Frequency of Deciduous Broadleaf Forest (Category 4)
Column 11 Frequency of Mixed Forest (Category 5)
Column 12 Frequency of Closed Shrublands (Category 6)
Column 13 Frequency of Open Shrublands (Category 7)
Column 14 Frequency of Woody Savannah (Category 8)
Column 15 Frequency of Savannahs (Category 9)
Column 16 Frequency of Grasslands (Category 10)
Column 17 Frequency of Permanent Wetlands (Category 11)
Column 18 Frequency of Croplands (Category 12)
Column 19 Frequency of Urban and Built-Up (Category 13)
Column 20 Frequency of Cropland / Natural Vegetation Mosaic (Category 14)
Column 21 Frequency of Snow and Ice (Category 15)
Column 22 Frequency of Barren or Sparsely Vegetated (Category 16)
Column 23 Frequency of Water Bodies (Category 17)



NASA webpageLDAS webpage LDAS Web Page
Developed and Maintained at NASA/GSFC		Brian Cosgrove: Brian.Cosgrove@gsfc.nasa.gov
Matthew Rodell: Matthew.Rodell@gsfc.nasa.gov
GSFC webpage