Description: Soil interpretation for Irrigated Agriculture evaluates the soils suitability for development of irrigated agriculture in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This interpretation of the extensive survey information identified the most suitable 1,000,000ha of land in the Emirate. From the million hectares, 400,000ha was further selected for a semi-detailed soil survey at 1:25,000. Criteria used were: Hard pan or rock depth (cm); Water table depth (cm); Salinity (dS/m) weighted average for 0 to 50cm; Salinity (dS/m) weighted average for 50 to 100cm; Gypsum depth to upper boundary of gypsic diagnostic horizon (cm); Texture for surface 0 to 25cm layer;Slope gradient (%); and relief (m). Current land use was not considered in the interpretation.
Service Item Id: 138acd29cf064dc39e7cbf5f13872972
Copyright Text: Created by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Soil Survey project. Data Origin: EAD
Description: Evaluation of salinity in the first and second 50cm of the soil horizon respectively was based on electrical conductivity of the soil. Electrical conductivity is a measure of the concentration of water-soluble salts in soils. It is used to indicate the soil salinity level. High concentrations of neutral salts, such as sodium chloride and sodium sulfate, may interfere with the absorption of water by plants because the osmotic pressure in the soil solution is nearly as high as or higher than that in the plant cells. Salts may also interfere with the exchange capacity of nutrient ions, thereby resulting in nutritional deficiencies in plants. The EC values measured by soil surveyors (EC 1:1) at each soil horizon at each field site were used to calculate an average EC value (weighted for horizon thickness) for the first two 50cm layers of soil at each site. That EC value was converted to ECe by multiplying by a factor of 3. These values were used to find the median ECe value for the 0-50cm layer and 50-100cm layer for each soil component.
Service Item Id: 138acd29cf064dc39e7cbf5f13872972
Copyright Text: Created by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Soil Survey project. Data Origin:EAD.
Description: The soil interpretation for ‘Land Degradation’ evaluates the soil factors that imply the presence of a soil condition that may be limiting to plant growth. Categorizing land degradation in a highly eroded and eroding desert environment is problematic. Thus the evaluation presented here has been developed through a consultative process to obtain a consensus of important factors in this environment. The evaluation deviates from conventional assessments of land degradation that usually consider either the soil’s risk (vulnerability) to erosion and degradation under a given set of circumstances (e.g. irrigated agriculture), or the level of degradation that has occurred as a result of human intervention. In this case the evaluation accounts for long-term natural factors that have led to the land being in a relatively degraded state. Thus a saline soil is considered to be degraded even though this may now be considered its natural condition. Similarly a surface lag of gravels is evidence that erosion has happened in the past. The soils may now be stabilized by this surface cover and erosion may no longer occur though the current evaluation would show them as being degraded. In contrast the dune systems that are by definition evidence of soil particle mobility are evaluated as having no degradation. The ratings are for soils in their natural condition; however they also take present land use into consideration by considering land under forestry or agriculture as being protected and so not degraded.
Service Item Id: 138acd29cf064dc39e7cbf5f13872972
Copyright Text: Created by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Soil Survey project. Data Origin:EAD.
Description: Soil interpretation for Rangeland evaluates the soils suitability for development of rangeland in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Interpretations used the process dominant component by percent. Criteria used were: Vegetation cover (%), existing degraded areas (based on the Land Degradation thematic map); and current land use (based on the land use map).
Service Item Id: 138acd29cf064dc39e7cbf5f13872972
Copyright Text: Created by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Soil Survey project. Data Origin:EAD.
Description: Gravel is used in great quantities in many kinds of construction. The intent of this assessment is to show only the probability of finding material in any given map unit. The suitability of the gravel for specific purposes is not evaluated because quality depends on how the source material is to be used and requires a level of detail beyond the scope of 1:100,000 scale mapping. The gravel may occur naturally in appropriate fragment sizes, or may be produced by crushing rock. The map illustrates the distribution of gravel sources within Abu Dhabi.
Copyright Text: Created by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Soil Survey project. Data Origin:EAD.
Description: Soil interpretation for sand source evaluates the proportion of soils in each map unit that meet the criteria for being a ‘sand source’. Present land use is not considered in the ratings. The intent of this assessment is to show only the probability of finding high quality material in suitable quantities. While there appears to be widespread distribution of suitable sand sources in the Emirate, it should be recognized that very generic criteria have been used to categorize these sources.
Service Item Id: 138acd29cf064dc39e7cbf5f13872972
Copyright Text: Created by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Soil Survey project. Data Origin: EAD.
Description: The distribution of carbonates is shown in the map. High levels of carbonate are generally confined to south-eastern areas of the Emirate. The interpretation for ‘Carbonate Source’ evaluates the probability of finding soil containing calcium carbonate. The ratings are for soils in their natural condition. Present land use is not considered. Calcium carbonate is mainly used in the construction industry. The assessment for carbonate source was based on the presence/absence method. The presence of carbonate in soil components of map units was based on their taxonomic classification.
Service Item Id: 138acd29cf064dc39e7cbf5f13872972
Copyright Text: Created by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Soil Survey project. Data Origin: EAD.
Description: Soil interpretation for gypsum sources evaluates the proportion of soils within a map unit that are identified as containing gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O). The ratings are for soils in their natural condition. Present land use is not considered in the ratings. The map shows shows the estimated distribution of gypsum sources within Abu Dhabi. While gypsum is a common and widespread feature of soils around the Emirate it frequently occurs in relatively low amounts or as relatively thin beds. The map shows that the most likely areas in which gypsum may be found in greatest quantities.
Copyright Text: Created by Environment Agency Abu Dhabi as part of the Abu Dhabi Soil Survey project. Data Origin: EAD.