NASA Soil Project provides concentrations of soil microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, alongside soil organic carbon and total nutrients, compiled from 315 papers spanning the late 1970s to 2012. The dataset includes 3,422 data points from global soil samples, primarily at 0-15 cm depth, with site coordinates enabling linkage to climate, vegetation, and biome data. A companion database contains 338 observations of gas flux from soil following rewetting or thawing, compiled from studies conducted between 1956 and 2010.
Use Cases
- Model global storage of soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen based on compiled concentration data and biome maps.
- Analyze relationships between soil microbial biomass and long-term climate variables using linked site coordinates.
- Study vertical distribution of microbial biomass concentrations using the subset of profile samples to 100 cm depth.
- Compare gas flux rates (CO2, CH4, N2O) following soil rewetting or thawing events across different ecosystems.
Strengths
- Compiled from a substantial literature survey of 315 papers, providing 3,422 data points.
- Includes site latitude and longitude for most samples, enabling integration with external global soil and climate datasets.
- Contains a specific subset of profile samples emphasizing vertical distribution to 100 cm depth.
- Provides a companion references file linking data points to their source publications via a reference_number.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.
- Data may reflect temporal and publication source bias inherent to the literature compilation method.
Provenance
- Source
- NASA
- Collection Method
- Compiled from a comprehensive survey of scientific publications.
- Time Range
- Late 1970s to 2012 for microbial biomass; 1956 to 2010 for gas flux.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Global