Northern Hemisphere Soil Database with Permafrost Data

This dataset maps soil types and permafrost characteristics across the polar and mid-latitude regions of the northern hemisphere. It was developed by an international consortium including the USDA and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, sourced from the Northern and Mid Latitude Soil Database compiled by the Cryosol Working Group in 2001. The data are provided as ESRI shapefiles detailing the percentage distribution of soil types within spatial polygons.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the distribution of gelisols (turbels, orthels, histels) for permafrost studies.
• Modeling soil suitability for agriculture using U.S. soil classification types like mollisols and alfisols.
• Mapping non-soil features like glaciers and rocklands for land cover analysis.
• Assessing soil ice content (low, medium, high) for climate impact studies on circumpolar regions.

Strengths

• Data represents a collaborative effort from eight major international agricultural and research institutions.
• Provides detailed percentage breakdowns of soil types within each map unit polygon.
• Includes specialized permafrost data on gelisol distribution and soil ice content from the International Permafrost Association (1997).

Limitations

• Conflicting last updated dates exist between sources: one states 2001-12-31, another states 2026-03 12.
• Specific row counts, column names, and dataset size are not provided by any source.
• Data for Italy does not contain the percentage distribution values available for other regions.

Provenance

Source

Cryosol Working Group (2001), with contributing organizations including USDA, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Collection Method

Compiled from shared data and expertise of international institutions into a unified spatial database.

Time Range

Data primarily reflects conditions circa 2001, with permafrost information from 1997.

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:13:39.114791

Geography

Polar and mid-latitude northern hemisphere: Alaska, Canada, Conterminous U.S., Eurasia (except Italy), Greenland, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Italy, and Svalbard.