Great Britain's topsoil properties were measured across 110 1-km squares in 2022 as part of a rolling monitoring program. The dataset includes pH, soil organic matter, carbon and nitrogen stocks, bulk density, and Olsen-phosphorus concentration, collected by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. This survey allows for comparison with previous surveys conducted since 1978 to detect changes in the countryside.
Use Cases
- Model soil carbon stock changes based on derived carbon concentration and stock data
- Analyze soil acidity and nutrient availability trends based on pH and Olsen-phosphorus concentration
- Assess soil physical structure and water retention based on bulk density and volumetric water content measurements
- Monitor changes in soil organic matter over time based on loss on ignition (LOI) data
Strengths
- Data from 110 spatially distributed 1-km squares across Great Britain
- Part of a long-term monitoring program with surveys repeated every 5 years since 1978
- Includes multiple key soil properties: pH, organic matter, carbon/nitrogen stocks, bulk density, moisture, and phosphorus
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
- Sampled from a stratified random sample based on a 15 by 15 km grid using rigorous scientific methods
- Time Range
- 2022 (part of a series with surveys in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1998, 2007)
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-03-19 07:32:53.921743; freshness should be verified
- Geography
- Great Britain