In this section you will be introduced to the significance of mapping land cover and to interpreting information from a satellite image.

1. Do the following steps:

a. Go to the Atlas of Canada Web site located at atlas.gc.ca and click on the English button.
b. Find the Explore Our Maps menu on the left hand side of the page.
c. Move your cursor over Environment, then click on Land in the pop-out menu.
d. On the new page that appears, click on the link to the Land Cover Map (a map based on satellite data).
e. Click on the Yukon Territory to Zoom In.
f. Click on Read more about this map link located in the small text box on the map or at the end of the abstract.
g. An introductory document should appear on the screen. Read the text and answer the following questions in the space provided.

2. What is the role of land cover in the Earth’s physical processes?

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3. Why is it important to map and monitor land cover?

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4. In the Colour Guide section there is a description of what type of land cover is associated with the colours on the satellite image. This will assist you in interpreting the map. Beside each colour is a description of what it indicates on the map. More detail is available by clicking the Land Cover Classification link at the bottom of this section. Record that information below:

a. Green: ________________________________

b. Brownish colours: ________________________________

c. Yellow/Orange: ________________________________

d. Light greenish and yellow to beige:_____________________

e. Bluish: ________________________________

f. Lighter colours in the south: __________________________

1. Go back to the Land Cover Map.

2. Find the Zoom to Region tool above the map.

3. Scroll down the menu and click on Yukon Territory.

4. Observe the Yukon Territory on the Land Cover Map carefully. In general terms, what are the dominant types of land cover in this region of Canada?

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5. What happens to land cover as you move from the south to the north of the Yukon Territory?

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6. Click on the Get Info from Map button above the map and then the red dot in the northeast of the Yukon Territory to get some specific information about the type of land cover found here. Record the following information:

a. Major Category:

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b. Sub-category:

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c. Description (click on High Density to find the detailed description):

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d. Close the Get Info from Map window.

7. Click on Get Info from Map button above the map and then the red dot in the southwest of the Yukon Territory to get some specific information about the type of land cover found here. Record the following information:

a. Major Category:

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b. Sub-category:

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c. Description (click on snow/ice to find the detailed description):

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8. Explain why there is snow/ice cover in the southwest and high density marshland in the northeast of the Yukon Territory.

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1. Following the same procedures as outlined in Part B, choose another province or territory in Canada and analyze the patterns of land cover. What are the similarities and differences to the patterns you observed in the Yukon Territory?

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