the soils of northern ireland and their …...environmental quality of soils, especially those...
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The Soils of Northern Ireland The Soils of Northern Ireland
and their and their
Environmental SignificanceEnvironmental Significance
Part 1: Crawford Jordan, AFBI
Part 2: Barry Rawlins, BGS
TELLUS CONFERENCE 17-18 October 2007
AFBI Soil Classification Survey 1988-97
Soil pit photos with HorizonsBrown Podzolic
on Shale Till
Humic Gley
on Alluvium
B
A
C
B2
A
C
B1
HUMIC
GLEY
ALLUVIUM
AFBI Soil Survey Map 1:50,000
Urban
BE
SWG1
SWG2
SOIL TYPESSOIL TYPES
BELFAST
Lough
Neagh
Belfast Lough
Antrim
Lisburn
Larne
Annual Average Rainfall 1971-2000 (mm/yr)
Data copyright Met Office
Sperrins
Mournes
Antrim Hills
BELFASTCASTLEDERG
Major Soil TypesMajor Soil Types
4
15
7
57
13
4
%
*
24%;Peaty classes
16%;Freely draining
(Brown-earths)
54%;Poorly drained
(Gleyed soils)
Hydrology Of Soil Types (HOST)
CLASS % NI
2 7.1
3A 23.9
3B 26.1
4A 7.7
4B 22.9
5 3.1
5D 0.8
5U 3.9
Water 4.60
Ballylumford
CoolkeeraghNW gas pipeline
Soil Quality Indicators Measured by AFBI
Physical :
• Soil texture (% sand, silt and clay)
Chemical :
• pH
• Available-P (Olsen-P)
• Loss on ignition (LoI)
• % C
Largely based around indicators to monitor the
environmental quality of soils, especially those
relating to sustainable agriculture, including :
SOIL TEXTURE (% SAND, SILT, CLAY)
X SAND
SILT CLAY
TELLUS Survey Topsoil pH (CaCl2
extract)
Mean pH:
pH 6.0
pH 5.9
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
3.0 -
3.5
3.5 -
4.0
4.0 -
4.5
4.5 -
5.0
5.0 -
5.5
5.5 -
6.0
6.0 -
6.5
6.5 -
7.0
7.0 -
7.5
7.5 -
8.0
%
1988-97
2004-05
1995 vs 2005
pH
Comparison of soil ‘Available-P’ values by P-Index
Available-P (Olsen-P)
(Improved Grassland only)
Mean P:
21.5 mg/l
27.1 mg/l0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
Index-
0
Index-
1
Index-
2
Index-
3
Index-
4
Index-
5
Index-
6
%
1988-97
2004-05
P-Enriched
1995 vs 2005
TELLUS Survey Topsoil total-Phosphorus (as P2O
5)
Losses of agricultural-P from land to water
Total-P in stream waters
Concs > 32 ug TP/l
are eutrophic
(i.e. all except dark blue)
TELLUS SURVEY AFBI PREDICTION
Eutrophic waters
coloured RED
Comparison of Soil-Carbon values230 Matched samples covering all land uses (A-horizon)
1995 vs 2005
y = 1.11x
(R2 = 0.99)
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0
%C (1995)
%C
(2005)
Relationship between
Soil Carbon (%C) and Loss on Ignition (% LoI)
AFBI WINTER 2004-05 5km grid
y = 0.55x - 2.03
(R2 = 0.97)
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
LoI (%) 2005
%C
2
00
5
% Carbon = (Loss on Ignition) / 2
(a) mean soil-C (mineral soils) = 5 %;
(b) 2004 estimate of total stocks of C in all NI soils to 100cm depth = 296 Mt C
LoI=10%
Acknowledgments(in alphabetical order)
Sampling :
Kevin Hamill, Alex Higgins, Tony McBride,
Brendan McRory, Jill Mellon, Raymond Stewart
and Brian Wallace
Sample Preparation and Analysis :
Irvine James, Hugh McKeating, Dermot McShane,
Gillian Nicholls, Peter Scullion and Alan Wright
All are AFBI staff from the Agri-Environment
Branch of AFESD based at Newforge Lane, Belfast.
TELLUS CONFERENCE 17-18 October 2007