September 2019
This map comes from work published by The Nature Conservancy. The map shows the average direction mammals (pink), birds (blue), and amphibians (yellow) need to move to find hospitable climates as they shift across the landscape. Researchers from the University of Washington and The Nature Conservancy modeled potential habitat for 2954 species using climate change projections and the climatic needs of each species. Using flow models from electronic circuit theory, they plotted movement routes for each species, connecting current habitats with their projected locations under climate change.
Map Credits: This map was created by Dan Majka, cartographer and analyst with The Nature Conservancy's North America Region science team. This visualization would not have been possible without the incredible prior work of the hint.fm wind map, cambecc's earth wind map, and Chris Helm's adaptation of cambecc's code. Thanks to Mapbox and OpenStreetMap for the basemaps!
Students
- After viewing the map above, think about these three questions:
- What do you notice?
- What do you wonder? What are you curious about that comes from what you notice in the map?
- What might be going on in this graph? Write a catchy headline that captures the main idea. If your headline makes a claim, write what you noticed that supports your claim.
- Next, join the conversation by adding to the discussion below. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)
- After you have posted, read what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting a comment. Use the “Reply” button to address another student directly.