Predicting the Influence of Multi-Scale Spatial Autocorrelation on Soil–Landform Modeling
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-22-2016
Publication Source
Soil Science Society of America
Abstract
Although numerous soil–landform modeling investigations have documented the effects and importance of spatial autocorrelation (SAC), little is known about how to predict the magnitude of those effects from the degree of SAC in the model variables. In this study, we quantified the SAC inherent in soil and landform variables of four widely divergent pedogeomorphological systems around the world to examine general relationships between SAC and spatial regression model results. Spatial regressions were performed by incorporating spatial filters, extracted by spatial eigenvector mapping, into non-spatial models as additional predictor variables. Results indicated that incorporation of spatial filters improved the performance of the non-spatial regressions—increases in R2 and decreases in both Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and residual SAC were observed. More remarkable was that the degree of improvement was strongly and linearly related (i.e., proportional) to the level of SAC inherently possessed by each soil variable. Our findings show that spatial modeling outcomes are sensitive to the degree of SAC possessed by a soil property when treated as a response variable. Thus, the level of SAC present in a soil variable can serve as a direct indicator for how much improvement a non-spatial model will undergo if that SAC is appropriately taken into account.
Inclusive pages
409-419
ISBN/ISSN
0361-5995
Copyright
Copyright © 2016, Soil Science Society of America
Publisher
Soil Science Society of America and American Society of Agronomy and Crop Science Society of America
Volume
80
Peer Reviewed
yes
Issue
2
eCommons Citation
Kim, Daehyun; Hirmas, Daniel R.; McEwan, Ryan W.; Mueller, Tom G.; Park, Soo Jin; Šamonil, Pavel; Thompson, James A.; and Wendroth, Ole, "Predicting the Influence of Multi-Scale Spatial Autocorrelation on Soil–Landform Modeling" (2016). Biology Faculty Publications. 243.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/bio_fac_pub/243
COinS
Comments
Permission documentation on file.