LUCAS 2018 TOPSOIL data

Data from the 2018 LUCAS campaign soil component containing soil properties data for 18,984 samples: pH (CaCl2 and H2O), organic carbon content, CaCO3, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, EC (Electrical conductivity), Oxalate extractable Fe and Al .
LUCAS 2018 TOPSOIL data
Resource Type: 
Datasets
Soil Point Data
Registration is requested: 
Yes
Publisher: 
European Commission
Year: 
2022
Themes: 
Soil Nutrients
Soil Organic Carbon Content
Soil Sampling
Soil pH
Projects: 
LUCAS

This page is an entry point to the principal LUCAS 2018 TOPSOIL data . In order to access the data, please register using the Request Form tab.

(18/07/2022)

Topsoil data for 18,984 samples from LUCAS 2018 are available as a CSV file and, to facilitate use of the data, an ESRI shapefile containing the theoretical points to which the taken samples should be associated; you may preview the readme file to find a description of these data.

Documentation: these data are accompanied by a  report  describing the 2018 dataset.

Geographical extent: European Union plus UK.

Format: CSV (with soil property data) + shapefile (theoretical sampling points, based on LUCAS Grid)

Measured properties: pH (CaCl2 and H2O), organic carbon content, CaCO3, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, EC (Electrical conductivity), Oxalate extractable Fe and Al .

Clay, silt, sand content and coarse fragments have been measured in previous surveys - these data will be made available in a single file in the very near future).

 
Reference Year: samples taken in 2018 .
 
Previous LUCAS campaigns topsoil data are found here  (2009/2012) and here (2015)

Note that for this dataset of basic soil properties, data of physical and chemical properties were analysed in samples taken at various depths in 18,984 LUCAS points as follows:

  • Samples taken from 0-20 cm depth in 18,744 points (in 141 of these points, all taken in Portugal, OC and CaCO3 were also analysed in additional samples taken from 20-30-cm depth)
  • Samples taken from 0-10 cm depth in 232 points,
  • Samples taken from 10-20 cm depth in 8 points

Further information from this LUCAS SOIL 2018 campaign is in preparation. These include:

  • As assessment of changes between 2009/2012 and 2018: report and summary data.
  • Heavy metals:  a summary of descriptive statistics of 997 LUCAS points with high and low concentrations of metals; the point data will not be made publicly available.
  • Erosion assessment: information recorded on gully erosion in 211 LUCAS points.
  • Assessment of depths of organic soils: measurements of organic horizon from 1,042 LUCAS points.
  • Biodiversity and plant protection products: report and summary statistics.
  • Environmental conditions: reference ancillary data describing a range of environmental conditions for all LUCAS points of the soil module; these data are the same as those distributed with the LUCAS SOIL 2015 data.

 

Updates on LUCAS 2018

(21/06/2023)

Soil biodiversity - DNA Bacteria and Fungi: The dataset includes bacterial 16S data and fungal ITS raw DNA sequences for 885 samples collected as part of LUCAS 2018 Soil survey (Biodiversity module). Additional details on the DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing, and the protocols for measuring soil properties and sources of climatic data can be found in “Patterns in soil microbial diversity across Europe" in Nature Communications: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-37937-4. Dataset available: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/soil-biodiversity-dna-bacteria-and-fungi

 

(19/06/2023)

Bulk density is part of the principal LUCAS 2018 TOPSOIL data (as distributed since 18/07/2022).These bulk density data were used to derive a new set of data "Fine Earth Soil Bulk Density at 0.2m depth from Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey (LUCAS) soil 2018", as described in the research paper https://bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ejss.13391. The data come as a CSV file (containing for each point POINT_ID, Eurostat LandCover category, BDsample_0_20_2018, coarse_mass_fraction, BDfine_0_20_2018_approx, coarse_volume_fraction_approx), an explanation of the columns and a shapefile with same attributes. These new data are now available from the LUCAS 2018 TOPSOIL data distribution page, after registration.

Please note that the official Bulk density dataset is located here and includes both the 5659 samples for 0-20cm (Quality Checked) and the bulk density assessment in Europe (as in the research paper https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167880924000252.

(15/02/2022)

We integrated a soil erosion module in LUCAS Topsoils survey fo the EU and UK. The 2018 LUCAS Topsoil Survey consisted of soil sampling (0–20 cm depth) and erosion observations conducted in ca. 10% (n = 24,759) of the 238,077 Land Use/Cover Area frame Survey (LUCAS) 2018 in-field survey sites. Gully erosion channels were detected for ca. 1% (211 sites) of the visited LUCAS Topsoil sites. Overall, the findings indicate that the tested 2018 LUCAS Topsoil in-field gully erosion monitoring system is effective for detecting the incidence of gully erosion. The morphogenesis of the mapped gullies suggests that the approach is an effective tool to map permanent gullies, whereas it appears less effective to detect short-lived forms like ephemeral gullies. The research on the module of gullies in LUCAS can be found in the research paper "Monitoring gully erosion in the European Union: A novel approach based on the Land Use/Cover Area frame survey (LUCAS)" link:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095633921000897. Data are available as well: https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/content/gully-erosion-based-lucas
 

Note that on the Eurostat website, you can find the general LUCAS 2018 data (such as observed LandUse and LandCover, and point coordinates) which can be combined with the LUCAS SOIL 2018 data using the POINT_ID field)

 

Subscribe to ESDAC Monthly newsletter

By sending these data, you declare that you have read & accept the notification below and that your personal data will be handled by the JRC only for statistical purposes (conform to privacy statement).

For any problem / question / comment on this dataset, please contact ec-esdac@ec.europa.eu

Notification:

  1. The LUCAS2018_SOIL data are the property of the European Union , represented by the European Commission, represented by the Directorate General-Joint Research Centre (hereafter referred to as the JRC), which is allowed to authorize third parties to use these data free of charge.
  2. The LUCAS2018_SOIL data have been generated with a harmonised methodology for the production of statistics on soil characteristics at European level and are not meant to provide any any information as to personal or land properties character. Furthermore, given the relatively limited number of points analysed and their spatial distribution, data contained in LUCAS2018_SOIL cannot be considered representative of local conditions and certainly not of field conditions.
  3. The European Union grants to the Licencee a personal, non transferable, perpetual, and non exclusive right to use the LUCAS2018_SOIL data. No sub-licence is allowed. The data may be used for any purpose.
  4. The Licensee shall take all the necessary regulatory, administrative, technical and organisational measures to ensure that the data are used only in accordance with the pprinciples specified in Article 2 and for the purposes specified in Article 3 and that there will be no attempt to identify by any means whatsoever, any individual statistical unit other than the geo-referenced coordinates of the points. In particular, owners of the land to which the points belong shall not be identified.
  5. In any reports, including all publications and unpublished papers, the following rules should be applied:
    a) Any results can be published once a proper aggregation process that prevents any individual body (private person, private organisation) from being identified has been applied, ,
    b) Graphical representation of individual units on a map is permitted as far as the geographical location of the soil samples is not detectable.
  6. The present licence is granted free of charge.
  7. This agreement shall start on the date the Licencee has received the LUCAS2018_SOIL data from the JRC. There is no need for a signature of the present agreement by the JRC.
  8. The LUCAS2018_SOIL database will be accessible only to the Licensee and staff working for the Licensee's Organization and on a need-to-know basis. The Licencee undertakes to inform the authorized persons of the existence of the present licence agreement and of its obligations that they will also have to respect.
  9. The European Union will be formally mentioned and fully acknowledged in, but not limited to, reports, articles, publications and presentations of work resulting from the use of the LUCAS2018_SOIL data as follows: "The LUCAS 2018 topsoil dataset used in this work was made available by the European Commission through the European Soil Data Centre managed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), http://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/".
  10. The Licensee can obtain information concerning the LUCAS2018_SOIL database from the JRC by e-mail (ec-esdac@ec.europa.eu). The Licencee undertakes to communicate on a regular basis to the JRC any errors or omissions discovered
  11. Neither the European Union, nor any person acting on its behalf, is responsible for the use which might be made of LUCAS2018_SOIL database.
  12. Whereas every effort has been made to ensure the quality of the LUCAS2018_SOIL data, the European Commission does not give any warranty as to the completeness or accuracy of the LUCAS2018_SOIL data, nor that it is error free or of a satisfactory quality or appears precisely as described in any documentation related to the data. All other such warranties are expressly disclaimed.
  13. The European Union disclaims all warranties relating to the data, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, any implied warranty against infringement of third parties property rights, of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
  14. The European Union will not be liable for any loss of use, lost data, interruption of business or incidental, special, exemplary, consequential damages of any kind, even if the European Union has been advised, knew or should have known of the possibility of such damages.
  15. The European Union does not represent or warrant that the data will be error free or uninterrupted, or that all non-conformities can or will be corrected, or that the data are timely, accurate or complete or that are of a satisfactory technical or scientific quality.
  16. In case the Licencee receives claims for infringement from third parties, the Licencee shall inform immediately the JRC. The European Union may at its own discretion undertake any useful change to the LUCAS2018_SOIL data in order to deliver data free from any third parties rights. In case this is not possible, the availability of the LUCAS2018_SOIL data will be stopped. In the meantime, the Licencee will reply before the Court to the claims of the third party and pay all damages and costs.
  17. In the event of any claim, suit or proceeding for infringement from third parties, the European Union shall have the right, at its option, to assume defence of such action.
  18. The Licencee shall not use any trademarks of the European Union, the European Commission or JRC
  19. The name LUCAS2018_SOIL of the data being created by the European Union, the Licencee shall not use the name of LUCAS2018_SOIL without prior written authorization of the JRC and shall not register the name LUCAS2018_SOIL as a trademark
  20. Personal data retrieved from the LUCAS2018_SOIL database shall be processed according to Regulation (EC) 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data
  21. Licensee is informed that its personal data may be used by the European Union and automatically processed. The identifying data that Licensee may submit (The Data) will be treated in accordance with the policy on "protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the European Union institutions", based on Regulation (EC) N° 45/2001. It may occur that you are requested to provide certain Data such as your name, your mailing address, your e-mail address, and other data such as your country, area as well as any other information requested via a specific form. The Data will not be communicated to nonauthorised third parties and will only be collected to allow you the use of the Software and for the establishment of statistics or trends. The Data will not be used for any other purposes than the indicated and will not be kept within our systems beyond the necessary timeframe to achieve this goal. Licensor will take all possible measures in order to secure the Data. However, it cannot eliminate all the risks related to the use of the Internet. Thus, at the time of submitting the Data, you must be aware that other users of the Internet can possibly manage to visualize the Data. Further to the law on private data protection, you are allowed to access, modify or to oppose yourself to any processing of your Data. To use that right, you may contact Licensor per e-mail at the following address: ec-esdac@ec.europa.eu. The licence may be terminated by the European Union if the Licencee breaches any of its provisions. In such a case, the JRC shall give the Licensee 30 days notice and opportunity to rectify the infringement but in any case, this termination shall not prevent the European Union from claiming any further damages.
  22. The Licensee agrees to maintain in confidence and not to disclose to any natural or legal person and to use its best effort to prevent and protect the data and documentation and reports therefore, and all other material, know-how, information from disclosure by its agents or employees to any person, organisation or company.
  23. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Belgian law. Any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Licence shall be settled before the competent courts of Brussels.
  24. THE LICENCEE ACKNOWLEDGES TO HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED TO BE BOUND BY THE ABOVE-MENTIONED TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CONTRACT

Technical assistance concerning the use of the LUCAS data can be obtained from :  ec-esdac@ec.europa.eu

Reference of source (Citations) :

How to cite the data and associated report/scientific publications:

Fernandez-Ugalde, O; Scarpa, S; Orgiazzi, A.; Panagos, P.; Van Liedekerke, M; Marechal A. & Jones, A. LUCAS 2018 Soil Module. Presentation of dataset and results, EUR 31144 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. 2022, ISBN 978-92-76-54832-4, doi:10.2760/215013, JRC129926

Scientific publication describing the LUCAS survey as a whole.

Orgiazzi, A., Ballabio, C., Panagos, P., Jones, A., Fernández-Ugalde, O. 2018. LUCAS Soil, the largest expandable soil dataset for Europe: A review. European Journal of Soil Science, 69(1): 140-153. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12499

 

When making reference to the ESDAC

  • Panagos, P., Van Liedekerke, M., Borrelli, P., Köninger, J., Ballabio, C., Orgiazzi, A., Lugato, E., Liakos, L., Hervas, J., Jones, A.  Montanarella, L. 2022. European Soil Data Centre 2.0: Soil data and knowledge in support of the EU policies. European Journal of Soil Science, 73(6), e13315. DOI: 10.1111/ejss.13315
  • Panagos P., Van Liedekerke M., Jones A., Montanarella L., “European Soil Data Centre: Response to European policy support and public data requirements”; (2012) Land Use Policy, 29 (2), pp. 329-338. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2011.07.003
  • European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC), esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu, European Commission, Joint Research Centre