NOCA NPS Soil Distribution

GIS-Based Mapping of Soil Distribution in Thunder Creek Watershed
Traditionally, information about soil distribution has been acquired through intensive fieldwork. Although ideal, this technique is not feasible in the National Parks and wilderness areas in Washington where hiking trails provide the only access to many hectares of land. With the increasing capabilities of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing software, it is possible to model soil-landscape relationships via digital topographic and environmental data and satellite imagery as proxies for the soil-forming factors, combined with a reduced amount of fieldwork. In this study, a quantitative model of soil distribution in the 30,000 hectare Thunder Creek Watershed in North Cascades National Park (NOCA) is being created based on information acquired from digital data and field sampling.