Amazon Soil Properties from the ISRIC-WISE Database

Over 4300 soil profiles collected between 1950 and 1995 form the basis for this derived dataset of key soil properties across the Amazon Basin. The ISRIC-WISE database was processed to create uniform data for 106 global soil units, linked to a 0.5-degree grid for the Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment (LBA) region. This dataset, a product of the international LBA initiative led by Brazil with NASA sponsorship, provides raster files for variables like water capacity and carbon density.

Use Cases

• Modeling soil organic carbon stocks for climate studies using the 0-30 cm and 0-100 cm depth carbon density columns.
• Assessing agricultural potential and land use impact by analyzing total available water capacity and soil pH across two depth ranges.
• Mapping soil chemistry gradients in the Amazon Basin with geospatial raster data for carbonate carbon density and pH.
• Calibrating hydrological models with derived soil property data like water capacity per meter of soil depth.

Strengths

• Derived from a substantial foundational database of over 4300 globally distributed soil profiles.
• Provides uniform, comparable data across 106 distinct soil units defined by the FAO-UNESCO Soil Map of the World.
• Geospatial raster format at a 0.5-degree resolution offers direct utility for regional-scale Earth system modeling.

Limitations

• Core profile data is historical, collected mostly between 1950 and 1995, and may not reflect current conditions.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist between platforms (1995-12-31 and 2026-03 13), creating uncertainty about dataset currency.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and complete column lists are not provided by any source.

Provenance

Source

ISRIC-WISE global database, subset for the NASA-sponsored Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA).

Collection Method

Soil profile data was standardized and linked to a digital 0.5-degree version of the FAO Soil Map of the World to generate GIS raster files.

Time Range

1950 to 1995

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:18:47.340581

Geography

South America, longitude 85°W to 30°W, latitude 25°S to 10°N (Amazon Basin).