Depth of A horizon DSM data of the Fitzroy catchment WA, Darwin catchments and Mitchell catchment Qld generated by the Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment

Depth of A horizon is one of 18 attributes of soils chosen to underpin the land suitability assessment of the Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment (NAWRA) through the digital soil mapping process (DSM). Depth of A horizon indicates the depth of the surface layers of soil (A horizon). This modelled raster data is presented as a positive number in meters eg a value of 0.12 shows the A horizon is 12 cm deep, and is derived from measured site data and environmental covariates. Depth of A horizon is a parameter used in land suitability assessments of soil physical factors for; plant growth (seedling establishment), machinery operations and potential degradation risks associated with sodic soils. This raster data provides improved soil information used to 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 NAWRA. 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 NAWRA published report ‘Digital soil mapping of the Fitzroy, Darwin and Mitchell catchments. A technical report from the CSIRO Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment to the Government of Australia'. The land suitability assessment this dataset underpins is described in the CSIRO NAWRA published report ‘Land suitability of the Fitzroy, Darwin and Mitchell catchments. A technical report from the CSIRO Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment to the Government of Australia'.