Soil surface texture DSM data of the Southern Gulf catchments (NT and Qld) generated by the Southern Gulf Water Resource Assessment

Soil surface texture is one of 18 attributes of soils chosen to underpin the land suitability assessment of the Southern Gulf Water Resource Assessment (SOGWRA) through the digital soil mapping process (DSM). Soil texture is determined by the percentage and size distribution of mineral (sand, silt and clay) particles of the soil finer than 2mm, carried out in the field. This soil surface texture raster data represents a modelled dataset of soil texture for the major part of the A horizons (surface soil) and is derived from field measured site data and environmental covariates. The soil texture classes are based on the field texture classes of the National Committee on Soil and Terrain 2009 (NCST) texture descriptions. Data values are: 1 Sandy, 2 Loamy, 3 Silty, 4 Clayey and the texture groupings behind these values are supplied in the word document READ_ME_Texture_Classes. Soil surface texture is a parameter used in land suitability assessments of soil physical factors and affects; water infiltration, water holding capacity, permeability, drainage, water and wind erosion, workability (soil adhesiveness), trafficability and soil nutrients levels. This raster data provides improved soil information used to underpin and identify opportunities and promote detailed investigation for a range of sustainable regional development options and was created within the ‘Land Suitability’ activity of the CSIRO SOGWRA. A companion dataset and statistics reflecting reliability of this data are also provided and can be found described in the lineage section of this metadata record. Processing information is supplied in ranger R scripts and attributes were modelled using a Random Forest approach. The DSM process is described in the CSIRO SOGWRA published report ‘Soils and land suitability for the Southern Gulf catchments’. A technical report from the CSIRO Southern Gulf Water Resource Assessment to the Government of Australia. The Southern Gulf Water Resource Assessment provides a comprehensive overview and integrated evaluation of the feasibility of aquaculture and agriculture development in the Southern Gulf catchments NT and Qld as well as the ecological, social and cultural (indigenous water values, rights and aspirations) impacts of development.