New classes: soil profile, soil profile characterization

[celineaubert]

soil profile

• definition The soil profile is defined as a vertical section of the soil and is made up of layers, running parallel to the surface, called soil horizons or soil layers. (#388)

soil profile characterization

• Subclass Of: planned process
• exact_synomym: soil profile description, soil profile examination
• definition A planned process in which the soil profile is characterized, describing the different soil horizons that composed it. http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/mauisoil/a_profile.aspx

[pbuttigieg]

soil profile

we could include the layers and horizons, but the profile sounds more like an OBI/IAO class.

soil profile characterization

This should probably go to OBI

[dr-shorthair]

See comment in #1281

Hold your horses here folks.

Layers and Horizons

'soil layer' is not a synonym for 'soil horizon' (in Australia and New Zealand, at least).

Horizons are defined by what are broadly understood to be 'genetic' processes, or at least some compositional classification Layers are more general, and are often just an arbitrary depth interval (e.g. 0.5-2 m) profile vs sequence-of-horizons

There has been a lot of discussion around the definition of 'profile' down under as well.

There is a soil body, which is usually composed of horizons - i.e. of layers that are defined by compositional or genetic properties.

Then there is the profile, which is the set of horizons as observed at a specific site, in a core, on a section, or in the wall of a pit.

The 'profile', with its specific measurements and observations, and interpretation, is actually a sample of the soil body, or of the sequence-of-horizons. It is at least in part an artefact of the observational and sampling strategy, rather than an intrinsic representation of nature.