Abstract
Two soil mapping methodologies at different scales applied in the same area were compared in order to investigate the potential of their combined use to achieve an integrated and more accurate soil description for sustainable land use management. The two methodologies represent the main types of soil mapping systems used and still applied in soil surveys in Greece. Diomedes Botanical Garden (DBG) (Athens, Greece) was used as a study area because past cartographic data of soil survey were available. The older soil survey data were obtained via the conventional methodology extensively used over time since the beginnings of soil mapping in Greece (1977). The second mapping methodology constitutes the current soil mapping system in Greece recently used for compilation of the national soil map. The obtained cartographic and soil data resulting from the application of the two methodologies were analyzed and compared using appropriate geospatial techniques. Even though the two mapping methodologies have been performed at different mapping scales, using partially different mapping symbols and different soil classification systems, the description of the soils based on the cartographic symbols of the two methodologies presented an agreement of 63.7% while the soil classification by the two taxonomic systems namely Soil Taxonomy and World Reference Base for Soil Resources had an average coincidence of 69.5%.
Highlights
Soil surveys provide a source of information and an inventory of soil parameters of an area of interest assisting land users to make accurate predictions for the response of a specific land to a certain use [1]
Typic Xerofluvents included mainly deep, calcaric and medium textured allochthonous soils formed on Holocene alluviums characterized by a xeric soil moisture regime and located in the lower part of the Diomedes Botanical Garden (DBG)
The soil classification was identified by using different taxonomical systems in the two mapping systems (USDA and World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB)) but as it will be discussed, the two classification systems were largely compatible concerning the types of soil information recorded per taxonomic category
Summary
Soil surveys provide a source of information and an inventory of soil parameters of an area of interest assisting land users to make accurate predictions for the response of a specific land to a certain use [1]. An integrated soil survey delineates the groups of soils of a region and describes their characteristics by using a specific mapping and classification system. Taking into consideration this information, the behavior of soils and their interaction with various land uses can be foreseen [2]. There is an interdependent and interactive relationship between soil surveys and soil mapping [3] since the information of soil properties and their spatial distribution, given by detailed and accurate maps, are necessary for evaluation and land suitability analysis [4].
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