N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

Helping People Understand Soils

Tropical Soil Surveys In the Caribbean Area

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

Helping People Understand Soils

Soil Science Division - Mid-Atlantic and Caribbean Area Soil Survey Region

Tropical Soils Diversity

History of the Soil Survey Program in the Caribbean Area

Challenges to Conducting Soil Surveys in the Tropics

Tropical Soil Surveys of Today

Outline

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

Helping People Understand Soils

Soil Survey Region 3Mid-Atlantic and Caribbean Area

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Soil Forming Factors in the Tropics

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RELIEF

Erosion

(high precipitation) Sedimentation Heating/Cooling Soil Moisture

Southwestern Puerto Rico

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

Helping People Understand Soils

RELIEF

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

Helping People Understand Soils

CLIMATE

Air and Soil Temperature Averages between 68 to 87 degrees F versus 46 to 69 degrees F for

Greensboro, NC

Moisture Averages 36 to 157 inches of rainfall annually compared to 47 inches for the

Greensboro area

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

Helping People Understand Soils

Keep in mind, this all happens in an area this size…

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Helping People Understand Soils

PARENT MATERIAL• Wind-blown deposits

• Alluvium

• Bedrock

• Organic Matter

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Helping People Understand Soils

BEDROCKVery diverse geology

• Old volcanic intrusive and extrusive materials with diverse mineralogy

• Metamorphic

• Sedimentary

• 75% of soils in Puerto Rico developed from bedrock

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

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N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

Helping People Understand Soils

Flora

Organisms

millipedes

ants

nematodes

earthworms Animals

Fauna

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

Helping People Understand Soils

Time

Caribbean Area soils range in age from thousands to millions of years

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

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Soil Diversity in The Caribbean Area

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

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100 x 35 miles NRCS Soil Survey identifies 10

of 12 soil orders (exceptions: Gelisols and Andisols)

253 Official Series Descriptions (PR, USVI and Haiti)

Soil Diversity in The Caribbean Area

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N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

Helping People Understand Soils

Humatas Ultisols

SosaAlfisols

Caguabo Inceptisols

Dwarf Oxisols

AguirreVertisols

PargueraAridisols

ToaMollisols

JoyudaHistosols

CorozoSpodosols

CatañoEntisols

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

Helping People Understand Soils

In the Caribbean Area, the U.S. began

conducting and publishing soil surveys in

the early 1900’s

In the US, soil surveys began in 1899

Parts of Utah, Maryland, and Connecticut

were first published soil surveys

History of Soil Surveys in the Caribbean Area

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1. (1902) - Arecibo to Ponce Reconnaissance Survey

2. (1932) - St. Croix Island Reconnaissance Survey

3. (1942) – Puerto Rico Soil Survey –R.C. Roberts

4. (1965) – Lajas Valley5. (1970) – Virgin Islands of the US

6. (1975) – Mayaguez

7. (1977) – Humacao

8. (1978) - Soil Survey of San Juan

9. (1979) – Soil Survey of Ponce

10. (1982) – Soil Survey of Arecibo

11. (1995) - Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Grid

12. (2000) – Camp Santiago and Fort Allen13. (2002) - Caribbean National Forest and

Luquillo Experimental Forest 14. (2002) – Soil Survey of United States Virgin Islands

15. (2008) – Soil Survey of San Germán Area

16. (2012) – Soil Survey of El Yunque National Forest

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In 2014, a pilot soil survey in Haiti was published

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Challenges in Conducting Soil Surveys in the Caribbean

Use same standards in the National Cooperative Soil Survey program

Big differences were accessibility, terrain conditions, and weather

Lack of access to lab data to classify the soils correctly and quickly

Around 20 different soil scientists worked in different decades to produce what we have today

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

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Geographic Information Systems (GIS) To digitize and analyze soil survey maps and data

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

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Tabular data is stored in the National Soil Information System (NASIS) database Spatial data is certified for a 1:1 join with tabular data SSURGO (Soil Survey Geographic Database) certification of spatial and tabular

data allows for standard and customized reports or interpretations (Web Soil Survey)

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

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In the past…

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Today

http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

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http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/drupal/

N A T U R A LR E S O U R C E SC O N S E R V A T IO NS E R V I C E

Helping People Understand Soils

Mayaguez MLRA Soil Survey Office

Soil Data Join Re-Correlation Rapid Carbon Assessment Sampling Assisting with the Haiti Pilot Soil Survey Project Soil Health Ecological Site Descriptions Technical Soil Services:

NRCS Field Offices National Science Foundation-NEON project EPA-Urban Soils Assessment project

Outreach