View article

Quantification of soil spatial variability across multiple scales is important in ecological modeling, environmental prediction, precision agriculture, and natural resources management. This study investigates the variability of soil map units and soil properties at multiple scales using two case studies, and demonstrates that soil spatial variability is a function of map scale, spatial location, and specific soil property. In the first case study, the variability of soil components within a map unit, termed map unit purity, was examined at three orders of soil surveys in the Backswamp Watershed in South Carolina. Soil maps of Order I (1:7920), Order II (1:24,000) and Order IV (1:250,000) were independently obtained and examined in a Geographic Information System (GIS). The results showed that the area-weighted mean purity P_m for the Order II soil map when compared to the Order I delineations was 51–99% for soil taxonomic …