Using artificial neural network models to produce soil organic carbon content distribution maps across landscapes

Soil organic carbon (SOC) content is an important soil quality indicator that plays an important role in regulating physical, chemical and biological properties of soil. Field assessment of SOC is time consuming and expensive. It is difficult to obtain high-resolution SOC distribution maps that are needed for landscape analysis of large areas. An artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed to predict SOC based on parameters derived from digital elevation model (DEM) together with soil properties extracted from widely available coarse resolution soil maps (1:1 000 000 scale). Field estimated SOC content data extracted from high-resolution soil maps (1:10 000 scale) in Black Brook Watershed in northwestern New Brunswick, Canada, were used to calibrate and validate the model. We found that vertical slope position (VSP) was the most important variable that determines distributions of SOC across the landscape. Other variables such as slope steepness, and potential solar radiation (PSR) also had significant influence on SOC distributions. The prediction of the selected two-input-node SOC model (VSP and coarse resolution soil map recorded SOC as inputs) had a correlation coefficient of 0.92 with measured values, and model predicted SOC values had 47.9% of the total points within ±0.5% of the measured values and 70.6% within ±1% of the measured values. The prediction od the selected four-input-node model (VSP, slope steepness, PSR and coarse resolution SOC values as inputs) had a correlation coefficient of 0.98 with measured values and model predicted SOC values had 75% of the total points within ±0.5% of the measured values and 87% within ±1% of the measured values. The prediction of the five-input-nodes model with soil drainage as additional input had a correlation coefficient of 0.99 with measured values, and model predicted SOC values had 87% of the total points within ±0.5% of the measured values and 98% of the total points within ±1% of the measured values. The calibrated SOC prediction model was used to produce a high-resolution SOC map for the Black Brook Watershed and the resulting SOC distribution map is considered to be realistic. Results indicated that DEM-derived hydrological parameters together with widely available coarse resolution soil map data could be used to produce high-resolution SOC maps with the ANN method.Key words: Soil organic carbon, artificial neural network model, high-resolution soil maps, digital elevation model, vertical slope position