Unsaturated Soil Hydraulic Properties for 790 Global Samples
Updated 6mo ago
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Description
790 soil samples from around the world contain measured soil water retention, hydraulic conductivity, and water diffusivity data. The UNSODA database, developed for practitioners and researchers, provides these unsaturated hydraulic properties and pedological information to quantify water flow and chemical transport in the vadose zone. Its second version, released for Microsoft Access-97, offers enhanced data search, compatibility, and graphical output options.
Use Cases
Model water flow in the vadose zone using soil water retention and hydraulic conductivity data from 790 global samples.
Estimate chemical transport potential by analyzing water diffusivity data alongside pedological information.
Calibrate indirect estimation methods for unsaturated hydraulic properties using the database's measured property curves.
Interpolate soil particle-size distribution data by finding similar curves from the included European dataset.
Strengths
Contains data for 790 distinct soil samples from various global locations.
Includes multiple measured unsaturated hydraulic properties: soil water retention, hydraulic conductivity, and water diffusivity.
Database structure is designed for convenient data searches and compatibility with other programs.
Has been applied in numerous studies since its first release in 1996, indicating established utility.
Limitations
The core database format is Microsoft Access-97, which may require conversion or legacy software for modern use.
Sample size of 790 soils may not represent all soil types or geographic regions with equal density.
Temporal coverage of the underlying measurements is not specified, potentially including older data.
Provenance
Source
Department of Agriculture
Collection Method
Compilation of measured laboratory and field data from various sources.
Freshness
The database record was last updated in December 2025, though the core version (V2.0) and its data are older.
Geography
Global coverage, with soil samples from around the world.
Primary data is in a Microsoft Access-97 database file (.mdb) within a ZIP package; users may need appropriate software or converters. License is U.S. Public Domain (us-pd).