264-17 Topographic Indices for Mapping Soil Attributes Over Large Areas In British Columbia, Canada.



Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Hall C, Street Level

Brandon Heung1, Margaret Schmidt1, Chuck Bulmer2 and Scott Smith3, (1)Geography, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
(2)BC Ministry of Forests and Range, Vernon, BC, Canada
(3)Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Summerland, BC, Canada
Digital soil mapping relies on the use of topographic covariates to predict soil types and attributes. Where topographic variation is high, as it is the mountainous areas of British Columbia, Canada, the analysis of digital elevation models can explain large amounts of variation in soil properties. We describe an approach using topographic indices derived from a 100m DEM to predict parent materials and soil properties over large areas of southern British Columbia. Predictions were carried out on case study areas using ArcSIE software, and validated by field sampling. We derived maps of soil properties, and evaluated the results in an area of varied topography, geology, climate and vegetation.
See more from this Division: S05 Pedology
See more from this Session: Spatial Predictions In Soils, Crops and Agro/Forest/Urban/Wetland Ecosystems: III (Includes Graduate Student Competition)