Maps of Soil Chemical properties at European scale based on LUCAS 2009/2012 topsoil data

This group of datasets contains 8 chemical properties: pH, pH (CaCl), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), Calcium carbonates (CaCO3), C:N ratio, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) using soil point data from the LUCAS 2009/2012 soil surveys (around 22,000 points) for EU-26 (not included Cyprus and Croatia). The chemical properties maps for the European Union were produced using Gaussian process regression (GPR) models. Resolution: 500m. Format: TIFF; projection information: ETRS89 / LAEA Europe
Maps of Soil Chemical properties at European scale based on LUCAS 2009/2012 topsoil data
Resource Type: 
Datasets
European Soil Database & soil properties
Registration is requested: 
Yes

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Image icon pH in Water (H2O)
Image icon pH in CaCl2 solution
Image icon C:N ratio
Image icon Cation Exchange Capacity
Image icon Calcium carbonates
Image icon Nitrogen
Image icon Phosphorus
Image icon Potassium
Publisher: 
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Year: 
2019
Language: 
en
Themes: 
Soil pH
Projects: 
RECARE

Metadata

Data are available for the following Chemical properties:

  • pH (measured in H2O)
  • pH (n CaCl2 0.01 M solution)
  • Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
  • Calcium carbonates (CaCO3)
  • C:N ratio
  • Nitrogen (N)
  • Phosphorus (P)
  • Potassium (K)

Note that these data are based on the LUCAS topsoil data for ca 22,000 samples across EU. 

Resolution: 500m; Format: geo TIFF;  projection information: ETRS89 / LAEA Europe
Geographical Coverage: European Union (EU-26 excluding Cyprus and Croatia)
Input data: LUCAS 2009 Topsoil 22,000 sample point data
Model: Gaussian process regression (GPR)

Description

The Physical proerty maps ( clay, silt and salt content; coarse fragments; bulk density; USDA soil textural class; available water capacity) are available in ESDAC from september 2015. In September 2019, we conluded the development of the LUCAS Chemical parameters [pH, pH CaCl, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), Calcium carbonates (CaCO3), C:N ratio, Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K)]  and we made them available for download together with the scientific publications.

With 22,000 sampled locations the LUCAS soil database is unique in Europe for the number of available observations, its spatial coverage and its temporal resolution. While LUCAS point data are available upon request from the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC), the interpolated maps of chemical properties offer a better overview of the distribution of soil chemical properties in the EU to the scientific community and to policy makers. The derived maps will establish baselines that will help monitor soil quality and provide guidance to agro-environmental research and policy developments in the European Union. The chemical properties datasets, together with the physical properties, contribute to one of the main objectives of the GlobalSoilMap project.

The modelling is based on Gaussian Process Regression technique that allows the estimation of prediction uncertainty. The best performing prediction was obtained for the C:N ratio (R2=0.91), followed by phosphorus and potassium (R2=0.75). The performance prediction of the rest of chemical properties in terms of R2 is higher than 0.60 with the exception of CEC (R2= 0.35).

Topsoil pH is influenced by soil parent material, erosional effects, climate and vegetation. The calcium carbonate content is highly correlated with pH, having similar influencing factors. Soil nitrogen distribution is dependent on soil organic carbon, vegetation and climate and soil texture. The land use appears to be the main driver for phosphorus content in soils, as agricultural areas have higher concentrations due to fertilizer application. CEC is influenced by the clay distribution in soils, topography and parent material.

 

References

Ballabio, C., Lugato, E., Fernández-Ugalde, O., Orgiazzi, A., Jones, A., Borrelli, P., Montanarella, L. and Panagos, P., 2019. Mapping LUCAS topsoil chemical properties at European scale using Gaussian process regression. Geoderma, 355: 113912.

Maps of Soil Chemical properties at European scale based on LUCAS 2009/2012 topsoil data

 

For any problem / question / comment on this dataset, please contact ec-esdac@ec.europa.eu

Notification:

  1. The data provided has been prepared for use by internal research activities in the Joint Research Centre (JRC, Ispra)  in the context of developing soil property maps for the GlobalSoilMap.net project and the FP7 programme RECARE (Grant No 603498).
  2. The data were developed for research purposes of the JRC (European Commission). The JRC does not accept any liability whatsoever for any error, missing data or omission in the data, or for any loss or damage arising from its use. The JRC agrees to provide the data free of charge but is not bound to justify the content and values contained in the databases.
  3. The permission to use the data specified above is granted on condition that, under NO CIRCUMSTANCES are these data passed to third parties. They can be used for any purpose, including commercial gain.
  4. The user agrees to: 
       a) Make proper reference to the source of the data when disseminating the results to which this agreement relates; 
       b) Participate in the verification of the data (e.g. by noting and reporting any errors or omissions discovered to the JRC).

 

Reference of source (Citations) :

Ballabio, C., Lugato, E., Fernández-Ugalde, O., Orgiazzi, A., Jones, A., Borrelli, P., Montanarella, L. and Panagos, P., 2019. Mapping LUCAS topsoil chemical properties at European scale using Gaussian process regression. Geoderma, 355: 113912.

When making reference to the ESDAC

  • Panagos, P., Van Liedekerke, M., Borrelli, P., Köninger, J., Ballabio, C., Orgiazzi, A., Lugato, E., Liakos, L., Hervas, J., Jones, A.  Montanarella, L. 2022. European Soil Data Centre 2.0: Soil data and knowledge in support of the EU policies. European Journal of Soil Science, 73(6), e13315. DOI: 10.1111/ejss.13315
  • Panagos P., Van Liedekerke M., Jones A., Montanarella L., “European Soil Data Centre: Response to European policy support and public data requirements”; (2012) Land Use Policy, 29 (2), pp. 329-338. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2011.07.003
  • European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC), esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu, European Commission, Joint Research Centre