STATSGO Soil Characteristics for the Conterminous US

• Soil characteristics for the conterminous United States were derived from the USDA's STATSGO database ( see reference 35). The soil characteristics include available water capacity, permeability, bulk density, percent organic matter, slope, depth to bedrock, soil erodibility factor, soil loss tolerance factor, and wind erosion group. The data are available online.
• Additional soil characteristics will be added to the online database. These will include soil taxonomy classifications and soil texture percentages (sand, silt, and clay).

As an example, the map below shows available water capacity of the soil. Lighter shades of gray indicate higher available water capacity.