Global Land Cover Characteristics

Introduction

Global Land Cover Roughness Data

Initially, the Global Land Cover Classification (GLCC) dataset was developed for land cover characterization in the range of environmental research and modelling applications. It is derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data spanning a 12 month period from April 1992 to March 1993. The ACHHR is a space-borne sensor mounted on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) family of polar orbiting platforms.

Coverage

This dataset has a global coverage. It is based on a 1 km x 1 km grid, so note that such a resolution is to coarse for Micro scale AEP calculation models! This data is the version 2.0 of the global land cover characteristics data base, see the USGS web site [1].

Legends

Various legends exist for this dataset. At EMD, we use the legend from the US Geological Survey, see the table below. In addition to the legend, we (EMD) also suggested a roughness length, z0. This length is shown in the last column of the table.

Table: USGS Legend for the GLCC Data with Roughness Classification Data by EMD

ID	Land Cover Type	EMD Roughness Class
1	Urban and Built-Up Land	z0=0.400
2	Dryland Cropland and Pasture	z0=0.100
3	Irrigated Cropland and Pasture	z0=0.100
4	Mixed Dryland/Irrigated Cropland and Pasture	z0=0.100
5	Cropland/Grassland Mosaic	z0=0.070
6	Cropland/Woodland Mosaic	z0=0.150
7	Grassland	z0=0.050
8	Shrubland	z0=0.070
9	Mixed Shrubland/Grassland	z0=0.060
10	Savanna	z0=0.070
11	Deciduous Broadleaf Forest	z0=0.400
12	Deciduous Needleleaf Forest	z0=0.400
13	Evergreen Broadleaf Forest	z0=0.500
14	Evergreen Needleleaf Forest	z0=0.500
15	Mixed Forest	z0=0.400
16	Water Bodies	z0=0.0002
17	Herbaceous Wetland	z0=0.030
18	Wooded Wetland	z0=0.100
19	Barren or Sparsely Vegetated	z0=0.020
20	Herbaceous Tundra	z0=0.050

External Link

Global Land Cover Characteristics Data Base Version 2.0, available at: http://edc2.usgs.gov/glcc/glcc.php (2013).