Aggregate lab data for the LEAF soil series. This aggregation is based on all pedons with a current taxon name of LEAF, and applied along 1-cm thick depth slices. Solid lines are the slice-wise median, bounded on either side by the interval defined by the slice-wise 5th and 95th percentiles. The median is the value that splits the data in half. Five percent of the data are less than the 5th percentile, and five percent of the data are greater than the 95th percentile. Values along the right hand side y-axis describe the proportion of pedon data that contribute to aggregate values at this depth. For example, a value of "90%" at 25cm means that 90% of the pedons correlated to LEAF were used in the calculation. Source: KSSL snapshot (updated 2020-03-18). Methods used to assemble the KSSL snapshot used by SoilWeb / SDE
Monthly water balance estimated using a leaky-bucket style model for the LEAF soil series. Monthly precipitation (PPT) and potential evapotranspiration (PET) have been estimated from the 50th percentile of gridded values (PRISM 1981-2010) overlapping with the extent of SSURGO map units containing each series as a major component. Monthly PET values were estimated using the method of Thornthwaite (1948). These (and other) climatic parameters are calculated with each SSURGO refresh and provided by the fetchOSD function of the soilDB package. Representative water storage values (“AWC” in the figures) were derived from SSURGO by taking the 50th percentile of profile-total water storage (sum[awc_r * horizon thickness]) for each soil series. Note that this representation of “water storage” is based on the average ability of most plants to extract soil water between 15 bar (“permanent wilting point”) and 1/3 bar (“field capacity”) matric potential. Soil moisture state can be roughly interpreted as “dry” when storage is depleted, “moist” when storage is between 0mm and AWC, and “wet” when there is a surplus. Clearly there are a lot of assumptions baked into this kind of monthly water balance. This is still a work in progress.
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Sibling Summary
Siblings are those soil series that occur together in map units, in this case with the LEAF series. Sketches are arranged according to their subgroup-level taxonomic structure. Source: SSURGO snapshot (updated 2024-02-21), parsed OSD records (updated 2023-10-06) and snapshot of SC database (updated 2023-10-02).
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Select annual climate data summaries for the LEAF series and siblings. Series are sorted according to hierarchical clustering of median values. Source: SSURGO map unit geometry and 1981-2010, 800m PRISM data (updated 2023-10-09).
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Geomorphic description summaries for the LEAF series and siblings. Series are sorted according to hierarchical clustering of proportions and relative hydrologic position within an idealized landform (e.g. top to bottom).
Most soil series (SSURGO components) are associated with a hillslope position and one or more landform-specific positions: hills, mountain slopes, terraces, and/or flats.
Proportions can be interpreted as an aggregate representation of geomorphic membership. The values printed to the left (number of component records) and right (Shannon entropy) of stacked bars can be used to judge the reliability of trends. Small Shannon entropy values suggest relatively consistent geomorphic association, while larger values suggest lack thereof. Source: SSURGO component records (updated 2023-10-04).
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There are insufficient data to create the 3D mountains figure.
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Competing Series
Soil series competing with LEAF share the same family level classification in Soil Taxonomy. Source: parsed OSD records (updated 2023-10-06) and snapshot of the SC database (updated 2023-10-02).
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Select annual climate data summaries for the LEAF series and competing. Series are sorted according to hierarchical clustering of median values. Source: SSURGO map unit geometry and 1981-2010, 800m PRISM data (updated 2023-10-09).
Click the image to view it full size.
Geomorphic description summaries for the LEAF series and competing. Series are sorted according to hierarchical clustering of proportions and relative hydrologic position within an idealized landform (e.g. top to bottom). Proportions can be interpreted as an aggregate representation of geomorphic membership.
Most soil series (SSURGO components) are associated with a hillslope position and one or more landform-specific positions: hills, mountain slopes, terraces, and/or flats.
The values printed to the left (number of component records) and right (Shannon entropy) of stacked bars can be used to judge the reliability of trends. Shannon entropy values close to 0 represent soil series with relatively consistent geomorphic association, while values close to 1 suggest lack thereof. Source: SSURGO component records (updated 2023-10-04).
Click the image to view it full size.
Click the image to view it full size.
There are insufficient data to create the 3D mountains figure.
Click the image to view it full size.
There are insufficient data to create the 3D flats position figure.
Soil series sharing subgroup-level classification with LEAF, arranged according to family differentiae. Hovering over a series name will print full classification and a small sketch from the OSD. Source: snapshot of SC database (updated 2023-10-02).
Block Diagrams
Click a link below to display the diagram. Note that these diagrams may be from multiple survey areas.
Main geologic formations and other topographic features in a segment of Gadsden County, and the positions of soils in some soil series (Soil Survey of Gadsden County, Florida; January 1961).
On uplands of the Talbot and Wicomico surfaces, soil texture is influenced by the sediment in which the soils formed. Natural drainage and organic matter content are related to position on the landscape (Soil Survey of Craven County, North Carolina; March 1989).
The soils on the uplands of the Talbot Surface formed in loamy or clayey sediment or in muck (Soil Survey of Pamlico County, North Carolina; August 1987).
Soil series and land types in soil associations 6 and 7 and their relation to the landscape and underlying material (Soil Survey of Bamberg County, SC; 1966).
Major soils in association 4 and their position on the Lynches River terrace. Wehadkee silt loam, which is in soil association 7, lies between the terrace and the river (Soil Survey of Lee County, SC; 1963).
Approximate geographic distribution of the LEAF soil series. To learn more about how this distribution was mapped, or to compare this soil series extent to others, use the Series Extent Explorer (SEE) application.
Source: generalization of SSURGO geometry (updated 2023-10-04).
