I require soil structure data, but I cannot find any remotely sensed soil structure data. However, I have found bulk density and hope that there is a formula that can get soil structure.
Do we calculate soil structure, or we just determine it, or them? To the best of my knowledge, soil structures are not computable. We normally discuss structures in terms of shapes and forms and orientations - platy, columnar, prismatic, lenticular, wedge, etc. Pore spacings (voids) play pivotal role here, (unless we are computing from the pore spaces).
Bulk density, d=m/v, (volumetric or apparent), has much to do with the soil mineralogy. B.D changes with soil handling and the most influential component being the degree of compaction.
Structure can only affect B.D, but I dont think BD can be used to compute it experimentally/empirically
Thank you, that explains why I found no information on bulk density to soil structure. Is there an online source (remote sensing or GIS layer) on soil structure globally? I am trying to find data on the Caribbean islands.
Bulk density usually increases with soil depth because subsurface layers are more compacted and have less organic matter content, less aggregation, and less root penetration compared to surface layers, therefore it may contain less pore space.
Porosity will depend on the structure and texture (arrangment of soil particles, sand, slit and clay). More clay would mean much less porosity compared to silt and that to clay. So if you determine the particle composition, you would be able to get some idea on the structure. Since bulk density depend on soil minerals (sand, slit and clay) including OM, one should be able to estimate the structure.
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