The ORNL DAAC expanded its global data holdings to include the three additional data sets related to soil characteristics.
"Global Soil Profile Data (ISRIC-WISE)"
This data set consists of homogenized data for 1125 soil profiles, including soil classification, site data, soil horizon data, source of data, and methods used for determining analytical data. The profiles were derived from the World Inventory of Soil Emissions Potentials (WISE) project. The data set contains a selection of 665 profiles from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, 250 profiles from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and 210 profiles from the reference collection of the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC). All profiles are georeferenced and classified according to the 1974 and1988 versions of the Legend of the FAO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Soil Map of the World.
"Global Data Set of Derived Soil Properties, 0.5-Degree Grid (ISRIC-WISE)"
This data set contains geographic information system (GIS) image files for total available water capacity, soil organic carbon density, soil organic carbon density, soil carbonate carbon, density, and soil pH. The images were based upon data derived from the WISE database for the 106 soil units in the Soil Map of the World produced by FAO-UNESCO in 1974. GIS raster image files were generated by linking the data to a 0.5-degree longitude by 0.5-degree latitude version of the edited, digital Soil Map of the World produced by FAO in 1995.
"Global Soil Texture and Derived Water-Holding Capacities (Webb et al.)"
Compiled by R. W. Webb, C. E. Rosenzweig, and E. R. Levine, this data set offers standardized data related to soil horizon thicknesses and textures (i.e., particle size distributions) throughout the world. The data set specifies the top and bottom depths and the percent abundance of sand, silt, and clay of individual soil horizons in each of the 106 soil types cataloged for nine continental divisions.
For further information about these data sets and other soil data maintained by the ORNL DAAC, visit http://www.daac.ornl.gov/SOILS/soils_collections.html.