AWC to 150cm DSM data of the Southern Gulf catchments (NT and Qld) generated by the Southern Gulf Water Resource Assessment

AWC to 150cm 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). AWC (available water capacity) indicates the ability of a soil to retain and supply water for plant growth. This AWC raster data represents a modelled dataset of AWC to 150cm (mm of water to 150cm of soil depth) and is derived from analysed site data, spline calculations and environmental covariates. AWC is a parameter used in land suitability assessments for rainfed cropping and for water use efficiency in irrigated land uses. 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.