ORGANIC SOIL ATTRIBUTES

A NOTE TO USERS OF ORGANIC (PEATLAND/WETLAND) SOILS SLC ATTRIBUTE

The SLC Component Table and Carbon Layer Table attributes that refer to organic (peatland or wetland) soils are currently being reviewed and updated in consultation with Natural Resources Canada, Forestry Canada, the University of Alberta, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. This is in preparation for a Peatland Map of Canada that is currently being compiled.

The SLC (v2.1) Component Table describes the soil landscapes which are components of the polygon. The Component Table attributes which would be used to compile or analyze organic (peatland/wetland) soil information are:

  KINDMAT kind of surface material 
  VEGET   vegetation cover and/or landuse 
  PMDEP   parent material mode of deposition 
  DEVEL   soil development - classification 
  LOCSF   local surface form 

As well the SLC (v.2.1) Carbon Layer Table contains attributes which apply to soil layers in each SLC component, and are used to compile information for organic soils. The attributes which would be used to compile or analyze organic (peatland/wetland) soil information are:

  LAYER     layer/horizon designation 
  THICK     thickness of the layer 
  THICK-ME  thickness reliability 
  BDENS     bulk density 
  BDENS-ME  bulk density  reliability 
  OCARB     organic carbon 
  OCARB-ME  carbon reliability 

It is suggested that if you are planning to use any of this attribute information that you consult the contact person below and discuss the use and limitations of the current data and also the date and source of an updated peatland dataset. Source: Charles Tarnocai
Contact: Charles Tarnocai