Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eire
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
D4.3 GS Soil Test Case Report: Celtic Fringe of Europe ECP-2008-GEO-318004 GS SOIL <D4.3 Data Harmonization Best Practice Guidelines> Test Case Report: Harmonisation of 1:250 000 scale soil maps and soil profile data in the Celtic Fringe of Europe: Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eire Deliverable number D-4.3 Dissemination level Public Delivery date 31.3.2012 Status Final Author(s) Gordon Hudson1 Allan Lilly 1 Alex J. Higgins2 Crawford Jordan2 Reamonn Fealy3 Rachel E. Creamer3 JHI - James Hutton Institute1 AFBI – Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute 2 Teagasc3 eContentplus This project is funded under the eContentplus programme1, a multiannual Community programme to make digital content in Europe more accessible, usable and exploitable. 1 OJ L 79, 24.3.2005, p. 1. Page 1 of 49 D4.3 GS Soil Test Case Report: Celtic Fringe of Europe Table of Contents 1 List of Tables .................................................................................................................... 5 2 List of Figures ................................................................................................................... 6 3 Glossary of acronyms ..................................................................................................... 6 4 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 7 5 Scottish soil forming factors ........................................................................................... 7 5.1 Climate of Scotland ................................................................................................... 7 5.1.1 Bioclimatic sub-regions of Scotland ................................................................ 7 5.2 Physiography and geology ...................................................................................... 7 5.2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 7 5.2.2 Scottish Highlands ............................................................................................. 8 5.2.3 Midland Valley .................................................................................................... 8 5.2.4 Southern Uplands .............................................................................................. 8 5.3 Parent materials ........................................................................................................ 8 6 Scottish Soil Classification ............................................................................................. 8 6.1 Soil associations ..................................................................................................... 10 6.2 History of soil classification in Scotland ............................................................... 10 7 Scottish soils data .......................................................................................................... 11 7.1 Primary datasets ..................................................................................................... 12 7.1.1 The Scottish Soil Database ............................................................................ 13 7.1.2 Field maps ........................................................................................................ 15 7.2 Derived data sets .................................................................................................... 15 7.2.1 Soil maps of Scotland at 1:63 360 and 1:50 000 scales ........................... 15 7.2.2 Soil Map of Scotland at 1:250 000 scale ..................................................... 15 7.2.3 Scottish Soil Knowledge and Information Base (SSKIB) .......................... 16 7.2.4 Classification of soil properties ...................................................................... 17 8 Soils of Northern Ireland ............................................................................................... 18 8.1 Climate ...................................................................................................................... 18 8.2 Physiography and geology .................................................................................... 18 8.2.1 The metamorphic basement rocks of the North-West ............................... 19 8.2.2 The Lower Palaeozoic rocks of the South-East .......................................... 19 8.2.3 Devonian and Carboniferous rocks of the South-West ............................. 19 8.2.4 The Palaeogene volcanic lavas and Mesozoic rocks of the North-East . 19 8.2.5 Glaciation. ......................................................................................................... 19 9 Northern Ireland Soil Survey Soil Classification ....................................................... 19 10 Northern Ireland Soil Datasets .................................................................................... 21 10.1 Field and laboratory procedures ....................................................................... 21 11 Technical interoperability .............................................................................................. 21 12 Translation of Scottish Soil Survey (SSS) data to WRB ......................................... 21 12.1 Translation of soil properties from SSS to FAO ............................................. 21 12.1.1 Degree of decomposition of peat .............................................................. 22 12.1.2 Field texture and laboratory particle size classification.......................... 22 12.1.3 Soil structure ................................................................................................. 24 12.1.4 Consistence .................................................................................................. 26 12.1.5 Induration, cementation and compaction ................................................. 28 12.1.6 Biological activity .......................................................................................... 29 12.1.7 Stone and rock fragments .......................................................................... 30 12.1.8 Human-made or human-transported material ......................................... 31 Page 3 of 49 D4.3 GS Soil Test Case Report: Celtic Fringe of Europe 12.1.9 Horizon depths and relative position in the profile .................................. 31 12.2 WRB diagnostic criteria matched with SSS properties ................................. 31 12.3 WRB diagnostic materials .................................................................................. 33 12.4 Methods used to reclassify some Scottish soils into WRB classification ... 33 13 Northern Ireland 1:250,000 Soil Map conversion to WRB ...................................... 39 13.1 WRB Harmonization ........................................................................................... 39 13.1.1 Histosols ........................................................................................................ 40 13.1.2 Leptosols ....................................................................................................... 40 13.1.3 Fluvisols ......................................................................................................... 40 13.1.4 Gleysols ......................................................................................................... 41 13.1.5 Podzols .......................................................................................................... 41 13.1.6 Stagnosols .................................................................................................... 41 13.1.7 Arenosols ...................................................................................................... 41 13.1.8 Cambisols ...................................................................................................... 41 14 Republic of Ireland WRB soil map .............................................................................. 45 15 Harmonized WRB soil map of Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland; the Celtic fringe. ................................................................................................... 45 16 References ..................................................................................................................... 47 Page 4 of 49 D4.3 GS Soil Test Case Report: Celtic Fringe of Europe 1 List of Tables Table 1. The hierarchy of soil classification in Scotland .................................................... 9 Table 2. The Scottish soil classification system ............................................................... 11 Table 3. Information on typical Soil Associations in Scotland ........................................ 12 Table 4. Experimental Farm surveys .................................................................................. 13 Table 5. Comparison of USDA and International particle size fractions ....................... 17 Table 6. Degree of decomposition of peat FAO compared to SSS ............................... 22 Table 7. Flow chart to determine field texture ................................................................... 22 Table 8. Comparison of structure degree (SSS) with structure grade (FAO) .............. 24 Table 9. Comparison of SSS structure size with FAO structure size ............................ 25 Table 10. Comparison of structure shape (SSS) with structure type (FAO) ................ 25 Table 11. Field moisture state descriptors SSS ..............................................................