The pilot area approach as a basis to develop a network Meeting on Harmonization of Soil Information in the Alps JRC Ispra 1-2 July 2004 Ialina Vinci and Silvia Obber Agency for Environmental Prevention and Protection of the Veneto Region

ECOPEDOLOGICAL MAP OF ITALY

SOIL MAP OF VENETO REGION 1: scale

Eco-pedological map for the Alpine territory PROJECT AIMS: to create a network among regional and national institutions which own and manage soil data to develop common procedures to allow data exchange, updating and evaluation for application purposes have soil data available

Eco-pedological map for the Alpine territory PROJECT ACTIVITIES: first draft of an ecopedological map for the entire alpine territory (10 Km pixels) develop a format for exchanging data to be tested in pilot areas (1km pixels) have soil data available

PILOT AREAS should: be representative of the Alpine environment be located near the national border, to allow comparison of landscapes and soils have an extension of ca. 200 Km 2 have soil data available

for each PILOT AREA partners should: Keep contact with transnational partner, exchanging information about data availability (soil maps, DEM, geological maps, etc.) Organize some field excursion for correlation Fill in data exchange format for each pixel of the area

PILOT AREAS proposed: Slovenia – Friuli-Venezia Giulia Austria - Veneto Switzerland - Lombardia France - Piemonte

PIXEL EXCHANGE FORMAT Will allow exchange of data, for pixels, on: parent material rootable depth water regime WRB classification topsoil and subsoil texture topsoil and subsoil organic carbon content topsoil and subsoil bulk density physiography land use Derived from dominant Soil Typological Unit

SMU/STU EXCHANGE FORMAT Will allow exchange of data, for Soil Mapping Units and Soil Typological Units, as in traditional soil maps. A specific description of soil and environment features will be given, preserving information on SMU complexity (SMU coverage table).

The 1: Geographical Soil Database, at present the only harmonized database at continental scale A Manual of Procedures (MOP) for a Georeferenced Soil Database for Europe (1: ), worked out by the European Soil Bureau in 1998 REFERENCE DATABASES AND PROCEDURES

18,000 km 2 total surface 6,000 km 2 mountainous area Veneto

pilot area: localization PILOT AREA LOCATION

pilot area: altitude max: 2700 (m a.s.l.) min: 1000 (m a.s.l.) ALTITUDE

Morphology MORPHOLOGY (dem 30 m)

geological map 1: of Veneto Region GEOLOGY

soil map 1: of Veneto Region PIXEL_id SOIL MAP

SMU MA1.2 SMU MA1.1 1 km PIXEL DESCRIPTION STU1ZMB 40% STU2 SDP1 25% STU3ORN1 20% Bare deposits 15% STU1SDP1 30% STU2 ZMB 25% STU3CTA1 20% Bare deposits 10% Dominant STU ZMB1 Dominant STU ZMB1

PIXEL EXCHANGE FORMAT Description based on dominant STU

PIXEL EXCHANGE FORMAT SOIL QUALITIES AND INDICATORS To be estimated for the whole pixel

PIXEL EXCHANGE FORMAT

Easier to be filled Easier to be updated Suitable to represent output data (policy relevant information) Useful to support updating in a multiscale approach (bottom-up) Suitable to be used for environmental indicators Easy to be integrated with other environmental indicators on different layers (INDIQUASOLS) ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES OF THE PIXEL APPROACH Extremely simplified approach Not suitable for representing soil coverage complexity

Soil Mapping Units of the 1: soil map

DO35: Lastoni di Formin, Croda da Lago, Becco di Mezzodì Surface: km 2 Elevation: 1,800-2,600 m a.s.l. Phytoclimatic zone: subalpine and alpine Bedrock: 75% Sciliar Dolomite 15% Principal Dolomite (Croda da Lago - Cima Ambrizzola) 10% Raibl Group, local flows, limited to: Forca Rossa, Fedaia Lake; easily erodible Unconsolidated material: 70% of the total surface (dolomitic) 70% dolomitic rockfall deposits, with debris flows; concentrated at the bottom of the rock walls 30% glacial deposits, on benches between 2,000 and 2,300 m a.s.l. ca., locally rock glaciers Morphology: dolomitic high mountain area; scree, at the bottom of the rock walls, partially active; basal tills on hanging benches of structural origin (Mondeval di sopra, malga Prendera, Federa Lake) shaped by the glaciers; secondarily rock glacier and debris flows % no soil: 30% Vegetation: alpine grassland and pastures Soilscape polygon description

Slope classe s (%) Surface rate (%) > Surface rate (%) >90 Slope classes (%) Soilscape polygon description (continued) Slope – Elevation classes (delineation DO35)

code%distribution SPM130 Dolomitic scree stabilized by pioneer vegetation or mugo pine (Pinus mugo) FOC130 Steep slopes with dolomitic glacial deposits, pastured VGA110 Moderately steep slopes with thick colluvial mantle of fine materials (Raibl), pastured No soil30 Scree and rocks FOC1 Soilscape polygon description (continued) Soil Typological Units (STU) (delineation DO35)

STU Forcella Giau (FOC1) Rendzic Leptosol SOIL TYPOLOGICAL UNIT Environment description morphology, bedrock, vegetation, land use… Soil Properties depth, rock outcrops, water-table depth, drainage, available water capacity… Horizon properties colour, particle size, coarse fragments, carbonate content… Representative profile description with analysis

SOIL MAP EXCHANGE FORMAT SMU_IDITD30543 STU140% STU220% STU320% Bare deposits15% Water5% STU COVERAGE TABLE SMU_IDITD30543 Physiography Parent material Land Cover SMU TABLE STU_IDITD3013 WRB classif. Parent material Land use Drainage STU TABLE STU_IDITD3013 HR_ID1 HorizonA Clay25% pH6.5 Organic carbon4.2% HORIZON TABLE

More suitable to describe soil coverage complexity Reference description by means of MOP manual Similar to traditional soil map approach Extended description of landscape, soil and profile ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES OF THE EXTENDED APPROACH Higher complexity of description Higher data requirements More harmonization work needed Resource consuming