Soil Organic Matter Map of the European Communities 1:8000000, Explanatory Bulletin

Abstract

This research was carried out in the framework of the RIVM contribution to the Seminar on groundwater for EC ministers, hold 26-27 November 1991 in The Hague, the Netherlands. One of the threats to groundwater is leaching of pesticides. One of the major factors determining the migration of most pesticides in soil is the organic matter content of the soil. Using classification criteria, data on organic matter content in described European and American soil profiles, and common knowledge from textbooks. for each soil unit and subunit occurring on the EC Soil Map (CORINE, 1985) the organic matter content of the top soil (upper 30 cm) has been estimated. The assumptions, used to estimate the organic matter content for soil units and subunits and the data and references on which these assumptions are based are provided. The results are presented as the Soil Organic Matter Map of the EC on a scale of 1:8000000. In addition recommendations for future improvements are discussed.