Soil Inventory Project Procedures Manual

 
 
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 Preface | Acknowledgements | List of tables | List of figures
.
Introduction
1.1 Introduction to this manual
1.2 Introduction to the soil inventory approach being used

The soil inventory process
2.1 Ecological Stratification of Alberta
2.1.1   Ecozone 
2.1.2   Ecoregion 
2.1.3   Ecodistrict 
2.2      Land System Inventory 
2.2.1   Reasons for doing 1:250 000 Land System Inventory 
2.2.2   Land System Inventory Process 
2.3      Soil Landscape Inventory 
2.3.1   Soil Landscape Compilation Process 
2.3.2   Soil Landscape Models 
2.3.3   Defining a Soil Landscape Model  
2.3.4   Guidelines for Soil Landscape Mapping 
2.3.5   Guidelines for Soil Landscape Map Coding 
2.3.6   Conventions for Creating Symbols for Soil Landscape Models 
2.3.7   Rules for Creating the Soil Model Symbol 
2.3.8   Rules for the Compilation of Polygon Data 
2.3.9   Rules for Soil Model Number Generation 
2.3.10 Additional Guidelines for Deriving a Soil Model Symbol 
2.3.11 Rules for Undifferentiated Models and Symbols 
2.4      Field Inspections 
2.5      Correlation 
2.5.1   Context 
2.5.2   Role of Correlation Team and Members 
Digital procedures
3.1         Conversion of soil lines from paper to ARC/INFO polygons 
3.2         Attaching Attribute Tables to ARC/INFO Polygons  
3.3         Rules for Soil Model Generation  
3.3.1      Soil Model Number Generation Process 



Data dictionary
4.1        Land Systems Data Capture  
4.1.1     Land System Number 
4.1.2     Analyst Name and Date 
4.1.3     Soil Correlation Area 
4.1.4     Land System Name 
4.1.5     Surficial Geology 
4.1.6     Regional Surface Form Models 
4.1.7     Regional Bedrock 
4.1.8     Lakes and Wetlands 
4.1.9     Regional Soil Models 
4.2        Soil Landscape Data Capture  
4.2.1     Polygon Identification 
4.2.2     Ecological Setting 
4.2.3     Analyst and Correlator 
4.2.4     Soil Model Attributes 
4.2.5     Landscape Model Attributes 
4.2.6     Salt Affected 
4.2.7     Confidence Level 
4.2.8     Field Check Required 

5.0 References
6.0 Glossary of terms
Appendix A: Key soil inventory references  
Preface

The Canada - Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture (CAESA) Soil Inventory Project (SIP) was a cooperative project involving the Alberta Research Council; Alberta Agriculture Food and Rural Development; Agriculture Canada - Alberta Land Resources Unit, Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research; and private industry consulting firms. Funding for the project was provided through the CAESA agreement and by the three previously mentioned Federal and Provincial agencies. 

The primary purpose of the project was to generate a 1:100 000 digital soils database for the agricultural portion of the province. 

This manual was initially intended for the compilation teams conducting the CAESA Soil Inventory Project - Alberta (1993 to 1998). It was a Procedures Manual that provided instructions and methodology to personnel involved in the project. The manual has been updated and revised to accompany the digital soils information compiled during the CAESA project. The manual describes the procedures used and the attribute data captured during the project. 
  
Acknowledgements

The editor (Larry Nikiforuk) acknowledges the contribution of all individuals who have contributed to the CAESA - Soil Inventory Project. They include: James Abramenko, Harry Archibald, Sarah Boon, Tony Brierley, Simon Brookes, Adrien Chartier, Daphne Cheel, Brian Chernipeski, Gerry Coen, Carolyn Ewaschuk, Mark Fawcett, Nancy Finlayson, Marianne Gibbard, David Gibbens, Anna Hansen, John Hermans, Mark Johnson, Ed Karpuk, Len Knapik, Jan Kwiatkowski, Jennie Lutz, Bob MacMillan, Leon Marciak, Ron McNeil, Steve Moran, Wayne Pettapiece, Doug Peters, Murray Riddell, Andrew Rodvang, Rieva Rosentreter, Barb Ryley, Brenda Sawyer, Peter Smith, Bill Souster, Arnold Stenger, Al Stewart, Joe Tajek, Conny Tomas, Gerry Tychon, Hank Van der Pluym, Bruce Walker, Ivan Whitson, Andrew Wooley and Zenon Wozimersky. 

List of Tables

Table 2.1      Correlation of Ecological Terms Used in Canada Since 1969  
Table 2.2      Rules for Soil Model Generation 
Table 4.1      Ecodistricts Legend (from: Ecological Stratification Working Group 1995) 
Table 4.2      List of Morphological Descriptors (from: Bates and Jackson 1980) 
Table 4.3      Surficial Geology Allowable Codes (adapted from Shetsen 1987) 
Table 4.4      Surface Form Models used for Land Systems Mapping 
Table 4.5      Drainage Categories 
Table 4.6      Regional Soils 
Table 4.7      Parent Material Texture (adapted from Shetsen 1987; 1990)  
Table 4.8      Soil Sub-group Modifiers 
Table 4.9      Variants 
Table 4.10     Order, Great Group and Subgroup Codes for White Area of Alberta  
Table 4.11     Landscape Models (adapted from Shetsen 1987; 1990) 
Table 4.12     Soil Landscape Modifiers 

List of Figures

Figure 1.1      White Area (agricultural portion) of Alberta 
Figure 1.2      The Hierarchical System of Land Stratification 
Figure 2.1      Ecoregion Map of Alberta (Pettapiece pers. comm 1993) 
Figure 2.2      Sample Block Of 16 Townships At 1:250 000 Scale Illustrating Typical Size Of Land Systems 
Figure 2.3      Components of a Soil Landscape Model  
Figure 3.1      Scanned soil map 
Figure 3.2      Raster edited soil map 
Figure 3.3      Soil lines after import to ARC/INFO  
Figure 3.4      Soil lines after topology building 
Figure 4.1      Ecodistricts of Alberta (Ecological Stratification Working Group) 
Figure 4.2      Land System Map Illustrating Land Systems in Two Ecoregions (5 and 6), And A Land System (6.2a.01) With Two Polygons.  

W. L. Nikiforuk, SLRI Consultants Limited
June 1998
 
 
 
 

Other Documents in the Series

 
  CAESA Land Systems User's Manual
Soil Inventory Project Procedures Manual - Current Document
Canada - Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture (CAESA): Soil Inventory Project Procedures Manual - Introduction
Canada - Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture (CAESA): Soil Inventory Project Procedures Manual - The Soil Inventory Process
AGRASID 1.0: Soil Inventory Project Procedures Manual - Digital Procedures
Canada - Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Agreement (CAESA): Soil Inventory Project Procedures Manual - Data Dictionary
Canada - Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Agreement (CAESA): Soil Inventory Project Procedures Manual - References
AGRASID 1.0: Soil Inventory Project Procedures Manual - Glossary of Terms
AGRASID 1.0: Soil Inventory Project Procedures Manual - Appendix A
 
 
 
 
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For more information about the content of this document, contact David Spiess.
This document is maintained by Laura Thygesen.
This information published to the web on February 6, 2003.
Last Reviewed/Revised on February 26, 2018.