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Towards Mapping Soil Carbon Landscapes: Issues Of Sampling Scale And Transferability, Bradley A. Miller, Sylvia Koszinski, Wilfried Hierold, Helmut Rogasik, Boris Schröder, Kristof Van Oost, Marc Wehrhan, Michael Sommer Mar 2016

Towards Mapping Soil Carbon Landscapes: Issues Of Sampling Scale And Transferability, Bradley A. Miller, Sylvia Koszinski, Wilfried Hierold, Helmut Rogasik, Boris Schröder, Kristof Van Oost, Marc Wehrhan, Michael Sommer

Bradley A Miller

The conversion of point observations to a geographic field is a necessary step in soil mapping. For pursuing goals of mapping soil carbon at the landscape scale, the relationships between sampling scale, representation of spatial variation, and accuracy of estimated error need to be considered. This study examines the spatial patterns and accuracy of predictions made by different spatial modelling methods on sample sets taken at two different scales. These spatial models are then tested on independent validation sets taken at three different scales. Each spatial modelling method produced similar, but unique, maps of soil organic carbon content (SOC%). Kriging …


Use Of Soil Maps And Surveys To Interpret Soil-Landform Assemblages And Soil-Landscape Evolution, Bradley A. Miller, Randall J. Schaetzl Jan 2016

Use Of Soil Maps And Surveys To Interpret Soil-Landform Assemblages And Soil-Landscape Evolution, Bradley A. Miller, Randall J. Schaetzl

Bradley A Miller

Soils form in unconsolidated parent materials, which make them a key link to the geologic system that originally deposited the parent material. In young soils, i.e., those that post-date the last glaciation, parent materials can often be easily identified as to type and depositional system. In a GIS, soil map units can then be geospatially tied to parent materials, enabling the user to create maps of surficial geology. We suggest that maps of this kind have a wide variety of applications in the Earth Sciences, and to that end, provide five examples from temperate climate soil-landscapes.


Comparison Of Spatial Association Approaches For Landscape Mapping Of Soil Organic Carbon Stocks, Bradley A. Miller, S. Koszinski, M. Wehrhan, M. Sommer Mar 2015

Comparison Of Spatial Association Approaches For Landscape Mapping Of Soil Organic Carbon Stocks, Bradley A. Miller, S. Koszinski, M. Wehrhan, M. Sommer

Bradley A Miller

The distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) can be variable at small analysis scales, but consideration of its role in regional and global issues demands the mapping of large extents. There are many different strategies for mapping SOC, among which is to model the variables needed to calculate the SOC stock indirectly or to model the SOC stock directly. The purpose of this research is to compare direct and indirect approaches to mapping SOC stocks from rule-based, multiple linear regression models applied at the landscape scale via spatial association. The final products for both strategies are high-resolution maps of SOC …


Impact Of Multi-Scale Predictor Selection For Modeling Soil Properties, Bradley A. Miller, Sylvia Koszinski, Marc Wehrhan, Michael Sommer Feb 2015

Impact Of Multi-Scale Predictor Selection For Modeling Soil Properties, Bradley A. Miller, Sylvia Koszinski, Marc Wehrhan, Michael Sommer

Bradley A Miller

Applying a data mining tool used regularly in digital soil mapping, this research focuses on the optimal inclusion of predictors for soil–landscape modeling by utilizing as wide of a pool of variables as possible. Predictor variables for digital soil mapping are often chosen on the basis of data availability and the researcher's expert knowledge. Predictor variables commonly overlooked include alternative analysis scales for land-surface derivatives and additional remote sensing products. For this study, a pool of 412 potential predictors was assembled, which included qualitative location classes, elevation, land-surface derivatives (with a wide range of analysis scales), hydrologic indicators, as well …


The Historical Role Of Base Maps In Soil Geography, Bradley A. Miller, R. J. Schaetzl Oct 2014

The Historical Role Of Base Maps In Soil Geography, Bradley A. Miller, R. J. Schaetzl

Bradley A Miller

Soil mapping is a major goal of soil science. Soil maps rely upon accurate base maps, both for positional reference and to provide environmental data that can assist in the prediction of soil properties. This paper reviews the historical development of base maps used for soil mapping, and evaluates the dependence of soil mapping on base maps. The availability of geographic technology for producing base maps has both constrained and directed the geographic study of soil. The lack of accurate methods for determining location limited early geographic descriptions of soils to narratives, or to listings of attributes for property-based map …


Semantic Calibration Of Digital Terrain Analysis Scale, Bradley A. Miller Feb 2014

Semantic Calibration Of Digital Terrain Analysis Scale, Bradley A. Miller

Bradley A Miller

Digital terrain analysis (DTA) provides efficient, repeatable, and quantified metrics of landscape characteristics that are important to the Earth sciences, particularly for detailed soil mapping applications. However, DTA has not been field tested to the extent that traditional field metrics of topography have been. Human assessment of topography synthesizes multiple parameters at multiple scales to characterize a landscape, based on field experience. In order to capture the analysis scale used by field scientists, this study introduces a method for calibrating the analysis scale of DTA to field assessments. This method is used to calibrate land-surface derivatives of relative elevation, profile …