Poorly drained and wet soils are a challenge in forestry, agronomy and other land use because of low soil bearing capacity and other factors such as plants’ high water stress. At the same time, they are important for the existence of different habitats, biodiversity, water exchange and various chemical processes. Spatial information about the distribution of wet soils and seasonal streams can help to improve land management practices, avoid financial losses, reduce risks of forestry and agronomic activities.
Today, aero laser scanning (ALS) data are available in all three Baltic States providing very detailed information about ground surface relief. Elevation data allows us to model even the smallest streams and water accumulation sites, helping to determine the distribution of organic soils more accurately. Within the framework of the LIFE OrgBalt project, we have created depth-to-water maps for the entire territory of the Baltic States with a 5m horizontal resolution. The maps are developed on the basis of elevation slope data and known surface water objects. Water table depth is calculated using cost surface analysis and the various threshold values indicate theoretical points at which surface water starts to run off as a result of precipitation or snowmelt, and the map indicates the possible water table depth in metres. As part of the LIFE OrgBalt project, depth-to-water maps in combination with wet area maps will be used to assess the distribution of historical organic soils according to elevation data and to improve data on organic soil distribution.
Depth-to-water maps have a wide range of application in both forestry and agriculture, for example, for planning the movement of forestry machinery depending on the bearing capacity of the soil, for organisation of water runoff, for selecting planting species suitable for soil moisture regime, for the assessment of drainage systems’ efficiency on agricultural land etc.
Depth-to-water maps offer unprecedented opportunities for modelling soil moisture and spatial distribution of organic soils. More details on the maps and their elaboration method can be found in the FULL ARTICLE: HERE.
LIFE OrgBalt Team
The article has been produced with the financial support of the LIFE Programme of the European Union and the State Regional Development Agency of Latvia within the Project “Demonstration of climate change mitigation potential of nutrient rich organic soils in Baltic States and Finland” (LIFE OrgBalt, LIFE18 CCM/LV/001158)
The developed article reflects only the LIFE OrgBalt project beneficiaries’ view and the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.