geomorphometry.org

Conventional and quantitative methods require synthesis for digital soil mapping to reach its full potential, particularly when survey extents are large (i.e. >10,000 km2), data are sparse and resources are limited. A challenge is to express narratives of pedogenesis in an explicit form that can be incorporated into digital soil mapping. We present an applied example where such a narrative is developed – it emphasizes landscape history, provenance of soil parent materials, and pedogenic process. The narrative is then expressed as rules that are used to produce digital soil maps. The rules are parsimonious, encourage testing, enable spatial prediction, and are easy to update. The rules rely on just a few terrain and geophysical variables. We demonstrate how a new terrain variable, the Multi-resolution Valley Bottom Flatness index, can be used with the familiar Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), to map geomorphic and soil features.