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Development of 3D Soil-Landscape Models in Florida
Objective
Reconstruct and visualize a soil-landscape in Alachua county, Florida using readily available
soil and topographic data.
Project
conducted by: S. Grunwald.
Data
Readily available soil data from the SSURGO database were used to create a soil-landscape
model for a small site in northern Florida. The following soil series were found:
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Lockloosa (loamy, siliceous, semiactive, hyperthermic Aquic Arenic Paleudults)
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Pomona (sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Ultic Alaquods)
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Moneocha (sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Ultic Alaquods)
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Plummer (loamy, siliceous, subactive, thermic Grossarenic Paleaquults)
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Millhopper (loamy, siliceous, semiactive, hyperthermic Grossarenic Paleudults)
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Tavares (hyperthermic, uncoated Typic Quartzipsamments)
Soil profile information for soils were downloaded from the
Official Soil Series Description Database (NRCS)
Topgraphic data, 5-foot contour lines (data source: USGS, 1997) were downloaded from the
Florida Geographic Data Library (FGDL)
Methods
The SSURGO data layer was imported into ArcView GIS 3.2. Attribute tables were
matched to polygons of the GIS layer via the common variable Muid. A point data layer
was created in shapefile format. The geo-referenced points were exported and an ASCII
file prepared containing soil profile information for each point location. This file was
imported into EVS-PRO software (CTech Development Corporation, Huntington Beach,
CA) and 2D ordinary kriging in the horizontal plane and linear interpolation in the vertical
plane was used to create face geometry of soil layers.
SSURGO soil data, study site in Alachua County, Florida
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Soil profiles
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Results
The stratigraphic soil-landscape model visualized the spatial distribution of soil horizons
continuously in 3D space. Such a model is helpful to get a better understanding of soils
and how they relate to topography. Reconstruction of soil-landscapes is a prerequisite
for simulation of transport and transformation processes (e.g. lateral flow, nitrate leaching,
nitrification). Higher resolution soil data are desirable to improve 3D reconstruction of soil-
landscapes.
3D stratigraphic soil-landscape model
Grunwald S.
and P. Barak. 2003. 3D Geographic reconstruction and visualization
techniques applied to land resource management. Transactions in GIS 7(2):
231-241.
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SSURGO soil data, study site in Alachua County, Florida
Soil profiles
3D stratigraphic soil-landscape model
Grunwald S.
and P. Barak. 2003. 3D Geographic reconstruction and visualization
techniques applied to land resource management. Transactions in GIS 7(2):
231-241.