Soil Spatial Scaling: Modelling variability of soil properties across scales using legacy data

Abstract

Understanding how soil variability changes with spatial scale is critical to our ability to understand and model soil processes at scales relevant to decision makers. This thesis uses legacy data to address the ongoing challenge of understanding soil spatial variability in a number of complementary ways. We use a range of information: precision agriculture studies; compiled point datasets; and remotely observed raster datasets. We use classical geostatistics, but introduce a new framework for comparing variability of spatial properties across scales. My thesis considers soil spatial variability from a number of geostatistical angles. We find the following: • Field scale variograms show differing variance across several magnitudes. Further work is required to ensure consistency between survey design, experimental methodology and statistical methodology if these results are to become useful for comparison. • Declustering is a useful tool to deal with the patchy design of legacy data. It is not a replacement for an evenly distributed dataset, but it does allow the use of legacy data which would otherwise have limited utility. • A framework which allows ‘roughness’ to be expressed as a continuous variable appears to fit the data better than the mono-fractal or multi-fractal framework generally associated with multi–scale modelling of soil spatial variability. • Soil appears to have a similar degree of stochasticity to short range topographic variability, and a higher degree of stochasticity at short ranges (less than 10km and 100km) than vegetation and Radiometrics respectively. • At longer ranges of variability (i.e. around 100km) only rainfall and height above sea level show distinctly different stochasticity. • Global variograms show strong isotropy, unlike the variograms for the Australian continent.