Global Soil Texture and Water-Holding Capacities at 1-Degree Resolution

A standardized global dataset of soil horizon thicknesses and particle size distributions compiled by Webb et al. for the Goddard Institute for Space Studies General Circulation Model. The data covers 106 soil types across nine continental divisions at a 1-degree spatial resolution. It includes primary data on soil depth and texture, plus five derived datasets for water storage calculations.

Use Cases

• Improving ground hydrology parameterization in climate models based on global soil texture and horizon data.
• Calculating potential water storage in soil profiles and root zones based on derived datasets.
• Analyzing global variations in soil physical properties throughout the soil profile.
• Prescribing water-holding capacity in atmospheric models based on soil type classifications.

Strengths

• Global coverage at a standardized 1-degree spatial resolution.
• Includes 106 distinct soil types cataloged across nine continental divisions.
• Provides both primary data (depth, sand, silt, clay percentages) and five derived water storage datasets.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center.

Collection Method

Compiled from soil horizon data and the World Soil Data File (Zobler, 1986).

Time Range

Data compilation cited as 2000; underlying sources from 1971-1986.

Freshness

Last updated date is unknown.

Geography

Global, with data organized for nine continental divisions.