Soil water holding capacity (Bouwman et al.)

This data set shows the global distribution of soil water holding capacity, at field capacity for the top 30 centimeters of soil only (0-30 cm.). It was derived from information on soil type and texture compiled by L. Zobler (1986) at a one-by-one degree latitude/longitude resolution from the FAO-Unesco Soil Map of the World (1974). The data set was developed in 1990 at the NASA/Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS), Columbia University, New York City by A. F. Bouwman of the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection (or RIVM; Bilthoven, the Netherlands) and scientists at NASA/GISS.

The data set has the following legend and values
(after Bouwman et al., 1986, p. 570):

Soil TEXTURE CLASSES with Soil Storage Capacity (in mm.;
some (Soil Type) examples equal to values in digital file)
____________________________ ________________________________

(Rendzinas, Lithosols, Rankers) 15 (FAO Soil codes 22, 40, 85)

1-COARSE (e.g. Sand) 40

2-COARSE/MEDIUM (Vertisols) 60 (FAO Soil codes 86,87)

3-COARSE/FINE (vertic Cambisols) 80 (FAO Soil code 13)

3-COARSE/MEDIUM/FINE (Ferralsols) 80 (FAO Soil code 55)

3-MEDIUM (vertic Luvisols) 80 (FAO Soil codes 23-28)

4-MEDIUM/FINE 100

5-FINE (Andosols) 120 (FAO Soil codes 81-84)

6-ORGANIC 60

Oceans (250)
Ice (251)

The Soil Water Holding Capacity data set is a raster data file having a spatial resolution of one degree latitude/longitude, and consists of 180 rows (lines) by 360 columns (elements/pixels/samples) of data. It has an origin point of 90 degrees North latitude and 180 degrees West longitude, and extends to 90 degrees South latitude and 180 degrees East longitude. The data file is one byte per element and comprises 64.8 Kb.

The original source of the digital data set is NASA/GISS and RIVM, and the proper reference is as follows: Bouwman, A. F., I. Fung, E. Matthews and J. John. September 1993. "Global analysis of the potential for nitrous oxide (N2O) production in natural soils." Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Volume 7/no. 3, pp. 557-597. The other relevant reference is: Zobler, L. 1986. "A world soil file for global climate modelling." NASA Technical Memorandum 87802, NASA/GISS, New York USA, 32 pages.