Box 7A Data and information sources

The information and data in this chapter are based on the following: work performed by the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC), the Dutch National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection (RIVM) and the Winand Staring Centre; the draft version of the The European soil resource: current status of soil degradation in Europe: causes, impacts and need for action, published in 1994 by the Council of Europe (Van Lynden, 1994); various national and regional state of the environment reports; and a review of scientific literature.

Soils of Europe

For the purpose of this report, the FAO-UNESCO Soil Map of the World (FAO, 1981) has been generalised. According to the FAO classification (FAO, 1974) there are 24 major soil groups in Europe, which can be further subdivided in 75 soil units. In this chapter, the 75 soil units have been aggregated into 11 groupings, presented under 4 main headings (Map 7.1), on the basis of their similarity of behaviour with regard to degradation processes. Each of the groupings is characterised by specific soil or land parameters that have a major influence on the use and management of the soil and its vulnerability to degradation processes. These parameters are organic matter content, texture, acidity, soil depth, stoniness, slope and drainage. Although an attempt has been made to ensure a maximum of homogeneity within each of the groupings (for example, all organic soils are deep and non-stony; almost all 'black earths' are loamy and non-acid) it must be realised that the small scale of the map, and hence the limitation in representing separate soil units, entails a certain variability within each of the groupings and allows for only a crude generalisation to be made. For further detail, reference is made to the CEC Soil Map of Europe at scale 1:1 000 000 (CEC, 1985).

Problems and threats

The information and data on erosion and physical degradation are based on an updated version of the European part of the Global Assessment of Soil Degradation map (GLASOD) carried out by ISRIC and UNEP (Oldeman et al, 1991). For this update, questionnaires were sent to scientific teams in each European country for comments and additions on the GLASOD map. Not all countries completed and returned the questionnaires and the degree of detail of the information received varies greatly. It must be kept in mind that the scale of the maps (1:10 000 000) does not allow detailed information to be shown; therefore, these maps must be interpreted with care (see Box 5B).

Data on pollution from heavy metals, pesticides, nitrates and phosphates were compiled by RIVM. Maps of nitrogen supply from manure and fertiliser loads and of pesticide loads and accumulation were prepared by using RIVM (1992) information and new data collected in the framework of the present project. The actual maps are presented in Chapter 5 for groundwater (Maps 5.7­5.10) and Chapter 22 for fertilisers and pesticides applications.

Data on acidification and compaction are based on the work done by the Winand Staring Centre. For acidification, critical loads and their exceedance on European forest soils have been calculated using a one-layer steady-state model (START). The same model has been used to calculate aluminium (Al) concentration and aluminium/base cation (Al/BC) ratio in a steady-state situation using present deposition rates. Estimates of the present Al concentration and Al/BC ratio have been derived from the dynamic model (SMART). For soil compaction, it was not possible to make an inventory for the whole of Europe due to the lack of data; instead, for regions where soil compaction problems are well known (southern Netherlands, eastern Germany, Poland, mid-western Russian Federation, mid-southern Sweden, northern France, southern Spain, southern Portugal and northern Italy), case studies were used to help quantify the effects.

Availability

An evaluation of existing databases on soils in Europe in the context of environmental threats suggests that data on soil fauna and flora, organic matter and heavy metals are inadequate. Experts consider that a general purpose map at a scale of 1:250 000, supported by national databases is missing for Europe. It was also recommended that the Soil Map of Europe (1:1 000 000) be revised to incorporate new knowledge.

Quality

In most European countries, the available data on soils are qualitative and their interpretation requires expert judgement; survey methods and classification systems vary between countries and sometimes within a country (eg, Germany, Spain). Information on soil and terrain attributes that influence environmental processes is often missing.