How Much and How Many?
Global Terrestrial Biomass and Species Richness
This map explores the relationship between biomass and biodiversity at a global scale. I wanted to see where the two variables align, where they diverge, and whether those patterns would be as visually clear as expected. They were. Regions like Colombia stand out with both high biomass and high species richness, while arid regions show high richness but low biomass, tundra areas the reverse, and deserts score low on both.
The project was aimed primarily at cartography enthusiasts and members of the public interested in biodiversity. This is personal-interest work rather than a scientific product, but the goal was still to build a map that is methodologically sound, legible, and visually honest.
Two very different raster datasets were normalized and aggregated into regularly sized hexagons using an equal-area projection. Each variable was classified into thirds using quantiles, producing nine bivariate categories. A bivariate approach allows a single map to show the distribution of biomass, the distribution of biodiversity, and the relationship between the two. Separate maps would almost inevitably invite mental overlay, so this approach makes that comparison explicit.
To help viewers explore the data on their own terms, the map labels natural terrain features rather than political boundaries and includes representative examples of each bivariate class directly in the legend. The result is a compact but information-dense view of global biodiversity patterns that works well for exploration, explanation, and teaching.
2024-11-01