Development of a Regional, On-line Soil Database
Soils that make up about the top one meter of the earth’s crust are a critical resource essential for support of life. Although scientists and managers commonly use water and air quality monitoring to determine environmental quality, trends, and response to disturbance, soil monitoring is less frequently used. Recently, developments in field and lab methods and recognition of changes in soil quality over time have heightened interest in soil monitoring and change detection.
A Northeastern Soil Monitoring Cooperative was founded in 2007 at a meeting supported by NSRC. The mission of the cooperative is to coordinate collection of high quality, regional soil data to evaluate change in soil quality; to complement meteorological, hydrological, and biological monitoring; and to support environmental decision making, science education, and future research opportunities.
NSRC researchers created an on-line, interactive database for storing and sharing soil chemistry data and maps of the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. The database can be found at http://www.uvm.edu/~nesmc/. The database assists in promoting collaboration among soil researchers, identifying missing data and monitoring needs, and assessing response of ecosystems to disturbance and change.