Soils perform several functions in delivering ecosystem services and this shapefile is the first soil rooting depth map of Italy. It is useful to support land management and spatial planning in terms of agro-environmental measures, making reliable assessments for ecological sustainability studies, and for environmental territorial analyses. This thematic map derived by the Soil Sub-System layer of Italy at 1:250,000 scale, based on the legacy soil maps, soil data and benchmark profiles, combined with the auxiliary data. The class of map legend (range and description) used is based on Soil Survey Manual (2017) by Soil Science Division Staff United States Department of Agriculture Handbook Title 430 Part 618. Here there are five soil rooting depth class: Very shallow (< 25 cm), Shallow (25 - 49 cm), Moderately deep (50 - 99 cm), Deep (100 - 149 cm), Very deep (> 150 cm). Further details are reported in Rivieccio et al. (2020). Rivieccio R., Di Bene, Paolanti M., Marchetti M. Napoli R. (2019). Soil rooting depth map of Italy. Journal of Maps (doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2019.1690595).

"No soil areas" refers to bare rocks/sediments and artificial areas (i.e., soil sealing), while water bodies to lakes, rivers, etc. These areas, obtained by Soil maps layer at 1:250,000 scale, are collected leaving the original soil map data, without clipping the Corine Land Cover layer.

{"references": ["Rivieccio R., Di Bene, Paolanti M., Marchetti M. Napoli R. (2019). Soil rooting depth map of Italy. Journal of Maps (doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2019.1690595)."]}