INSPIRE - CARBIOSOL - Predicted total organic carbon levels - period 1949-1972 in Wallonia (BE)

This INSPIRE data layer shows the total organic carbon content in agricultural soils in Wallonia for the period 1949-1972. This INSPIRE compliant data comes from the CARBIOSOL source data - Predicted Total Organic Carbon Contents - period 1949-1972. The quality of a soil can be assessed through the study of various physical, chemical or biological parameters. Among these parameters, soil organic carbon, which constitutes more than 50% of the mass of soil organic matter, is generally considered the main indicator of soil quality, both for its agricultural and environmental functions. This data layer maps historical total organic carbon (TOC) levels for soils under permanent crops and grasslands in the Walloon Region. The period covered by this map is from February 1949 to July 1972. The layer was created by spatial modelling method developed by UCL in the framework of the CARBIOSOL convention. For more details on the mapping layers generated in the CARBIOSOL project, please refer to the metadata sheet documenting the data layer series. In each pixel, the total organic carbon (TOC) content is expressed in grams of carbon per kilogram of dry fine earth (gC/kg). The output of the model is a raster layer of TOC contents at 90 meters resolution and spatially continuous on the Walloon agricultural territory. The average TOC levels for soils under crops and grasslands over the period 1949-1972 were 1.62 gC/kg and 3.26 gC/kg. During this period, 9% of agricultural areas had TOC contents < 1.15 %C and 60% had contents < 1.5 gC kg-1. Below 1.15 gC/kg, the soil is destructured. Soil TOC levels for both soil occupations tend to increase from north-west to south-east, from the sandy-loamy region to the Ardennes region, and decrease in the Jurassic region. This trend reflects variations in landforms and soils that also control changes in land cover (from intensive crops to dominant extensive permanent grassland), but also climatic variations.