SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report
Sections
Status: Approved
Basic Information
- Project No. and Title: WCC93 : Western Region Soil Survey and Inventory
- Period Covered: 01/01/2000 to 12/01/2000
- Date of Report: 06/04/2002
- Annual Meeting Dates: 06/25/2000 to 06/30/2000
Participants
Busacca, Alan - Washington State Univ.; Daugherty, LeRoy A. - New Mexico State Univ.; Hendricks, David M. - Univ. of Arizona; Kelly, Gene - Colorado State University; Monger, H. Curtis - New Mexico State Univ; Nielsen, Gerald A. - Montana State Univ; Southard, Randal J. - Univ. of Calf., Davis; Uehara, Goro - University of Hawaii; Yost, Russ - University of Hawaii
The WCC-093 meeting was held in conjunction with the 2000 Western Region Cooperative Soil Survey Conference in Kailua Kona, HI (June 25-30). Randy Southard served as the committee chair and secretary. Bob Graham from UC Riverside was elected as secretary, but was unable to attend. We noted that the committee was renewed for the three-year period October 1, 1999 to September 30, 2002. In addition to meeting biennially at the regional National Cooperative Soil Survey meetings, we discussed the possibility of organizing a meeting in conjunction with the Western Society of Soil Science at UC Irvine in 2001 (and other off-years when we dont meet with the regional conference) and developing a symposium Pedology in Western Ecosystems.
The group briefly discussed the history and mission of WCC-093. The general sense of the group was that there has been a recent upswing in interaction between the universities and the NCSS. In particular, we noted the increased use of terrain analysis, GIS, and technology transfer in conducting soil surveys and other resource inventories.
We discussed the idea of developing a regional project on new technologies for representing the spatial distribution of soil properties and on developing a dynamic soil properties database. Discussion also included the notion of shifting the emphasis of the NCSS away from making soil maps and developing soil interpretations and in the direction of ongoing collection of soil data in order to develop as comprehensive soil database as possible. Soil maps serving a wide array of interpretation needs could then be generated from these data using new GPS, GIS, and informatics technologies. We note that soil properties data are incomplete for large land areas (e.g., range and forested ecosystems) and that missing data limit the ability to model large-scale ecosystems processes (e.g., carbon sequestration).
The committee recommended that more resources should go toward the collection of georeferenced soil data and that the Experiment Stations help develop soil genetic conceptual models to stratify landscapes for prioritized data collection. A significant remaining question is how to identify what kinds of data are needed and how to prioritize data collection given budgetary constraints.
Committee members contributed activities reports that were used to develop a presentation of Experiment Station activities at the conference.
Minutes by Randal J. Southard
The group briefly discussed the history and mission of WCC-093. The general sense of the group was that there has been a recent upswing in interaction between the universities and the NCSS. In particular, we noted the increased use of terrain analysis, GIS, and technology transfer in conducting soil surveys and other resource inventories.
We discussed the idea of developing a regional project on new technologies for representing the spatial distribution of soil properties and on developing a dynamic soil properties database. Discussion also included the notion of shifting the emphasis of the NCSS away from making soil maps and developing soil interpretations and in the direction of ongoing collection of soil data in order to develop as comprehensive soil database as possible. Soil maps serving a wide array of interpretation needs could then be generated from these data using new GPS, GIS, and informatics technologies. We note that soil properties data are incomplete for large land areas (e.g., range and forested ecosystems) and that missing data limit the ability to model large-scale ecosystems processes (e.g., carbon sequestration).
The committee recommended that more resources should go toward the collection of georeferenced soil data and that the Experiment Stations help develop soil genetic conceptual models to stratify landscapes for prioritized data collection. A significant remaining question is how to identify what kinds of data are needed and how to prioritize data collection given budgetary constraints.
Committee members contributed activities reports that were used to develop a presentation of Experiment Station activities at the conference.
Minutes by Randal J. Southard
Accomplishments
Not reported
Impacts
Publications
Not reported