Soil profile and disturbance data were collected from sites near Scott Base and McMurdo Station during the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Antarctic field seasons. The dataset includes descriptions and analyses from 33 soil samples in the first season and 104 samples in the second. It was compiled by the organization SCIOPS and last updated in January 2010.
Use Cases
- Model soil vulnerability index based on visual site assessment classifications and boot imprint data.
- Analyze relationships between soil chemical properties like pH, EC, and ion concentrations (Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cl, NO3, SO4) and physical properties like texture and bulk density.
- Map the depth to ice-cemented permafrost using GPS location data across different landforms.
- Assess human disturbance by correlating foot traffic data from track counters with soil profile descriptions at specific sites.
- Classify parent material and landform types using USDA Soil Taxonomy data to study soil formation processes.
Strengths
- Contains 137 total soil samples collected over two field seasons (33 in 2008/09, 104 in 2009/10).
- Includes multiple measurement types: chemical analysis, particle-size analysis, bulk density, water content, and geospatial GPS data.
- Soil disturbance was assessed at 85 total sites (36 in 2008/09, 49 in 2009/10).
Limitations
- Sample size is relatively small for machine learning applications, with 137 total samples.
- Data is temporally stale, with no updates since the 2010 field season.
- Geographic coverage is limited to specific sites in the McMurdo Sound region of Antarctica.
Provenance
- Source
- SCIOPS, via NASA Earthdata.
- Collection Method
- Field collection of soil profiles, samples, and site assessments following USDA Soil Taxonomy and established visual assessment protocols.
- Time Range
- Field seasons 2008-2009 and 2009-2010.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Vicinity of Scott Base and McMurdo Station, Antarctica, including Crater Hill, Observation Hill, Cape Evans, Cape Royds, Marble Point, Cape Roberts, and the Wright Valley.