The Atlas of the Biosphere is a series of maps about land use, human impacts on the environment, eco systems, and water resources. Click on any of the four map categories to see a series of maps related to each topic. You will find maps depicting data for the whole world as well as maps depicting data by continent. In addition to the maps, you can also download the data sets from which the maps were created.

Here’s a sample of some of the maps and data sets you will find on the Atlas of the Biosphere; infant mortality, suitability for agriculture, growing degree days, and snow depth.

Applications for Education
The data sets and maps found on the Atlas of the Biosphere are intended for use by high school students. The maps and data sets could be used by students studying the impact of land use on the environment. Students could use the data sets to create Google Earth layers to make interactive displays of the data and or mash-up that data with other data sets and existing layers on Google Earth.

Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:
Google Earth Across the Curriculum
Free 33 Page Guide – Google for Teachers
Using Maps in an Elementary School Math Lesson