2. 2 |
Archived soil specimens are invaluable
“time capsules” for assessing change in soil
properties over time, particularly as new
analytical tools become available.
They also allow Australia-wide studies without
the need for travel.
3. 3 |
Archiving soil samples so they can be found
from stored (inaccessible) to archived (accessible )
4. 4 |
Our two main goals are:
• To conserve the long term scientific value of
soil specimens and soil data
• To make available the soil specimens and their
data available for public research, both now
and in the future
5. 5 |
At the National Soil Archive
We archive soil data &
soil material,
manage submissions &
user requests
6. 6 |
• The standard for collection field information and soil profiles is laid
down in the ‘Yellow Book’.
• Standard laboratory methods are described in the Green Book.
We have set a minimum data requirements for archived samples:
1. Detailed location information is essential (GPS info these
days), maps in the past),
2. some measured properties,
3. and the methods that were used this analysis.
New results (from users) are added to the database
Practical archive information is stored: in which drawer can the
samples be found and how much material do we hold
8. 8 |
Every soil sample is assigned a unique barcode
which is a concatenation of the six highlighted variables
in this case 899B-MA32114
9. 9 |
Our ‘product:
Soil material plus information’
775 gram Whole Soil
Agency: CSIRO Division of Soils (NSW)
Project: CAN
Site: CP159
Layer: 1
Soil depth: 0.15-0.30 m
Spec_ID: 29989
Compactus address: 18A04
Subsampled: 09/2013
10. Linkages
10 |
Samples are organised by
Site, and Sites are grouped
by Project. In the Project
table information about
publications may be found -
if it was made available at
the time
Archive samples all lab
results and lab method
information
Entity Relation Diagram
in Microsoft Access
11. 11 |
• An extensive database called NatSoil of 90,000 soil samples from 12,000 sites
• Samples sites locations and site reports can be downloaded online form
Australian Soil Resource Information System (ASRIS)
How people find out about our samples
13. 13 |
Managing user requestsUser and submission requests forms are available on our website
14. 14 |
How are the soil samples re-used?
• For the calibration of new instruments
• For national soil diffuse reflectance libraries,
to characterise soil composition and diversity
• For overview studies on 1) carbon sequestering potential
2) toxicity of Boron
3) sodic soils
• For development - an early version of ASRIS was based on NatSoil
• For measuring changes in soil properties over time
• For a study by Australian Federal Police - forensics
15. 15 |
How we could soil archive users benefit from an IGSN?
When users of the soil samples currently refer to samples
from our collection in their journal articles, they currently
mention the Site_ID and soil depth, as part of the National
Australian Soil Archive collection. When others after them see
that study and want to use those same soil samples, they
contact us and list the Site_ID’s and soil depth and we look in
our database if more soil material is available for them.
With an International Geo Sample Number, users would more
easily be able to find out what work has been carried out on
the samples of their interest. Into the future, as the number of
samples that has been used several times grows, this could
be valuable.
This benefit would likely take many years to come to fruition.
16. Thank you
Linda Karssies, Archivist
t +61 2 6246 5824
e linda.karssies@csiro.au
www.clw.csiro.au/aclep/archive
CSIRO LAND AND WATER
Editor's Notes
Acquiring a soil sample from the field is labour intensive and expensive
Acquiring an archived soil specimen is easy
In the Geosciences, core libraries are standard. In biological sciences herbaria and collection are standard practice. These are always linked to a database
These collections are used for Research and Development.
Take stock of samples in boxes, Adjust database, Create barcoded labels, Transfer and subsample, Weigh sample and add archive info to database
All soil material has been air dried or over dried at 40 degrees
Contradictory! Hence we face some difficult decisions
Depending on the study that yielded the soil samples more or less field descriptions are available. The same holds true for soil data – which properties of the soil were measured?
We have set a standard for minimum data set, incl. detailed location information (in the field, GPS info these days) and the methods that were used for analysis. It may be very detailed, geomorphological information, aspect, colour of the soil layers, many elements tested in the laboratory. It just depends on the focus of the original study.
New analysis results (from specimenusers) are added to the database
It may be very detailed,geomorphological information, aspect, colour of the soil layers, many elements may be tested in the laboratory or only Carbon It just depends on the focus of the original study.
Data entry needs to occur before soil material can be archived, because the unique identity of a soil sample (see label) is based on soil information in the database
POINT OUT BAR CODE LABEL and LAMINATED CARD
We need to standardise the many data formats
Can be challenging, projects vary widely
Data entry occurs by project
Site reports containing soil morphology and soil chemistry
User request form for committee decision
Query database, on archive info (state of sample, how much material, data already available)
Collect samples, scan barcodes, subsample, send to user.
User has to send back remainder of soil material for future user
Some laboratory studies are destructive (grind, acid solution etc), others are non-desctructive (different types of scanning). For destructive studies we carefully calculate the minimum required, and send that subsample to the user. We do the subsampling ourselves, to avoid contamination.
JUST A SNAPSHOT!
1. Archived soil samples and associated soil data have allowed calibration of several new instruments, for example those for measuring gamma radiometric and Electromagnetic Radiation and Near Infra Red (NIR) and new Mid Infra Red (MIR) Spectroscopy Scanners.
2. National soil diffuse reflectance libraries to characterise soil composition and diversity. The spectroscopy results of the research led by Raphael Viscarra Rossel of 27 thousand soil samples from around Australia will facilitate the development of digital soil maps of mineral and organic components and are a major current impact of the Soil Archive.
3. Skjemstad, . Boron Cartwright – rapid assessment of the distribution of soil with toxic levels of boron, allowing better soil management and increased crop productivity
4. Early ASRIS based on the NatSoil database which holds the soil data of the Soil Archive’s soil specimens (Johnston et al. 2003)
5. Soil Acidity, erosion, salinity. National Soil Fertility revisited. An acid sulfate soils study at Lake Albert re-analysed archived samples that had been collected in 1930 from the floor of Lake Albert showing the changes from exposure of the samples to oxygen while in an air-dry condition (Fitzpatrick et al., 2008)