Topsoil physico-chemical properties were measured from soils sampled from 48 1-km squares across Great Britain in 2020. The dataset includes pH, soil organic matter, carbon and nitrogen stocks, bulk density, moisture, and phosphorus concentration. It was created by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology as part of a rolling monitoring program repeated every 5 years.
Use Cases
- Model soil carbon stocks based on soil organic matter and derived carbon concentration.
- Analyze soil acidity trends across Great Britain based on pH measurements.
- Assess soil nutrient availability for vegetation based on nitrogen and Olsen-phosphorus concentration.
- Study soil physical structure and water retention based on bulk density and volumetric water content.
Strengths
- Data from 48 1-km squares sampled using a stratified random design based on a 15 km grid.
- Properties include 11 specific measures such as pH, carbon stock, nitrogen stock, and Olsen-phosphorus.
- Part of a long-term monitoring program with surveys conducted in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1998, 2007, and 2020.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)
- Collection Method
- Samples collected from a stratified random sample of 1-km squares using rigorous scientific methods.
- Time Range
- 2020
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-03-19 07:35:06.137110
- Geography
- Great Britain