This map displays the distribution of Solonetzic soils in the agricultural region of Alberta. Solonetzic soils have developed on saline parent material that is high in sodium and have a characteristic hardpan layer that has formed in the subsoil. This hardpan is very hard when dry and has low permeability when wet. This results in restricted root and water penetration that may limit the productivity of these soils. Solonetzic soils occur in association with Chernozemic soils and, to a lesser extent, with Luvisolic soils.The Agricultural Region of Alberta Soil Inventory Database (AGRASID) soil landscape polygons that contained soils belonging to the Solonetzic Order were identified, and the areal extent of these soils was represented as a percentage of the total area using the following classes: greater than 30, 10 to 30 and less than 10. This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.

This map displays the distribution of organic soils in the agricultural region of Alberta. Organic soils consist of layers of material with greater than 30 percent organic matter and a total thickness of greater than 40 cm. Organic soils are generally saturated with water for most of the year unless drained. Saturation inhibits decomposition and encourages continued accumulation of organic material. Drainage of these soils can result in a rapid increase in decomposition and a reduction in the thickness of the organic material. This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.

The “Thematic Soil Maps of Manitoba” is a revised and condensed version of the Manitoba Detailed Soils Database produced by CANSIS. It contains data relating to the soils slope, drainage, agricultural capability, erosion potential, and surface texture.

The data represents the occurrence of saline soils in the agricultural area of Alberta. A Saline Soils is a non-alkali (pH less than 8.5 and exchangeable-sodium less than 15%) soil containing soluble salts in great enough quantities that they interfere with the growth of most crop plants. This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.

This map displays the percentage of organic matter in the surface layer of cultivated soils in the agricultural region of Alberta. Soil organic matter (SOM) is derived primarily from the decomposition of plant biomass. SOM improves both the physical and chemical properties of soil and has beneficial effects on agricultural soil quality. SOM is reported on the map as a percentage using the following classes: less than 2 (very low), 2 to 4 (low), 4 to 6 (medium), 6 to 8 (high) and greater than 8 (very high).This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.

This map displays the distribution of the main soil types found within the province of Alberta. The distribution pattern of soils in Alberta is strongly linked to climate and parent materials. Climate affects the location of different soil groups. The driest area in southeastern Alberta is represented by the presence of Brown Chernozems. As one proceeds north and west, the soils and associated vegetation reflect the increase in available moisture.In Alberta, Organic soils generally occur in association with Luvisolic soils. These soils form under wet conditions where the organic layer (greater than 30% organic matter) accumulates faster than it decomposes. The organic layer varies in thickness from 40 to 160+ cm, and under natural conditions, the water table is at or near the surface. In some areas of the province, Organic soils may be artificially drained and used for agricultural production. This resource was created in 2002 using ArcGIS.

## Purpose The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) is responsible for Ontario’s provincial soil maps and maintains and update them as necessary. Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) is a modern methodology using spatially explicit soils and environmental data to predict soil variation throughout a landscape at a high, consistent resolution. Digital soil maps are being rolled out throughout Ontario’s agricultural land base to update provincial soil maps. ## Reach Provincial soil maps are used in many decision-making processes including: * land use planning * land evaluation * farming practices * best management practices * ecological monitoring * land resource mapping Potential users of this data include: * farmers * certified crop advisors * conservation authorities * academic researchers * land use planners ## Potential impacts Digital soil maps provide more accurate and precise soils data and enables improved management of soil resources across multiple stakeholders. This allows for better decision making to maximize land use efficiency, improve economic efficiency of soil resources and promote soil health and soil conservation. ## Technical description Digital soil mapping combines geo-referenced soil observations with geo-referenced environmental layers to mathematically model soil variation as a function of environment variation. These models are based on well established, but often complex relationships, between soil properties and topography, biology, geology and hydrology.

Polygons of Forest Soils Units, including information on drainage, slope, and aspect.

The “Soils of Canada, Derived” national scale thematic datasets display the distribution and areal extent of soil attributes such as drainage, texture of parent material, kind of material, and classification of soils in terms of provincial Detailed Soil Surveys (DDS) polygons, Soil Landscape Polygons (SLCs), Soil Order and Great Group. The relief and associated slopes of the Canadian landscape are depicted on the local surface form thematic dataset.The purpose of the “Soils of Canada, Derived” series is to facilitate the cartographic display and basic queries of the Soil Landscapes of Canada at a national scale. For more detailed or sophisticated analysis, users should investigate the full “Soil Landscapes of Canada” product.

Soil Survey polygons contain soils spatial and attribute information utilized by the Ministry of Environment online Soil Information Finder Tool ([SIFT](http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/land/soil-information-finder)). The information pertains to soil survey data in the Province of British Columbia, as well as links to a variety of reports and maps. Polygons related to soil surveys can be made up of a complex of up to 3 components representing 3 different soil types. These components are aspatial and represent the amount in the polygon indicated by the PERCENT_x field for the component x. Each unique soil type has a soil name and generalized attributes such as drainage, texture and coarse fragment percent. The [Soil Name and Layer Files](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/a3bc4cd3-0f1b-4a2f-bd88-76f821756d10) can be joined and related to each of the 3 components of the Soil Survey Spatial View polygons using the SoilSymbol field in the name and layer tables and the `SOILSYM_x` fields in the Soil Survey Spatial View.