Wilson-Henderson-Sellers Soil Classes for Africa at 10 Arc-Minute Resolution

Wilson and Henderson-Sellers soil classes and soil class reliability data for Africa, part of a global archive for general circulation climate models. The dataset was developed by the World Data Center-A for Solid Earth Geophysics at the U.S. National Geophysical Data Center in cooperation with NOAA, EPA, and NCGIA. The raster data was published in 1985 and is provided at a nominal 10 arc-minute resolution in geographic projection.

Use Cases

• Incorporate the Wilson/Henderson-Sellers soil class feature from AFWSOILS.IMG as a static boundary condition in regional climate model runs over Africa.
• Assess model input uncertainty by analyzing the soil class reliability layer from AFWSOILR.IMG to weight ensemble simulations.
• Validate modern soil or land cover products by comparing classifications against this historical baseline dataset for Africa.
• Study long-term land-atmosphere feedbacks by using the soil class data as a consistent input for paleoclimate or historical model reanalysis.

Strengths

• Global archive developed for climate models by authoritative agencies including NOAA NGDC and EPA.
• Data provided at a consistent 10 arc-minute resolution, compatible with global AVHRR coverage and other common scales.
• Includes a companion reliability raster (AFWSOILR.IMG) quantifying confidence in the primary soil class assignments.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, sourced from maps published in 1985 and may not reflect current soil conditions.
• Spatial resolution of 10 arc-minutes (approximately 18.5 km at the equator) is coarse for local or watershed-scale analysis.
• Original data sources like the FAO/UNESCO Soil Map of the World are known to have generalizations and regional inconsistencies.

Provenance

Source

World Data Center-A for Solid Earth Geophysics, U.S. National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC).

Collection Method

Digitized from available sources including the FAO/UNESCO Soil Map of the World and regional atlases.

Time Range

Publication date 1985; underlying source maps are older.

Geography

Africa.