Natural Resources Conservation Service - Databases and analytical services

This paper is a brief overview of NRCS databases, the National Soil Survey Laboratory (NSSL) soil analyses and characterization, and the National Soil Survey Center's (NSSC) new program in Soil Biology and Soil Carbon. The NR CS soils and plant community databases (NASIS and PLANTS) are discussed (In ternet access: NASIS http://www.statlab.iastate.edu/soils/, and PLANTS http ://plants.usda.gov/). Current NSSL soil characterization analyses as well a s new projects and analyses for the Soil Biology and Soil Carbon program ar e presented. The Soil Biology and Soil Carbon program augments our existing emphasis areas of Global Climate Change, Carbon Sequestration, Soil Survey , and Technical Soil Services. Benchmark Site Selection is presented as a c ase study for database development that can be adapted or modified to fit a variety of situations.