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Spatial Prioritisation of Total Carbon Storage 2023 (England)

Publisher
Natural England
Updated
29 April 2026
Topic
Not set

Summary

These spatial datasets consider the lands contribution to preventing and mitigating climate change, through storage of carbon in the Soils (below ground) & Vegetation (above ground). This total carbon spatial datasets represent a strategic resource for England, that indicate the range of carbon storage values in tonnes of carbon per hectare (t C Ha-1 ). At a local scale (e.g. 1:50 000). They are presented as a series of raster datasets for use in GIS Systems at a resolution of 25m2. These maps will assist users to find out where the most important carbon stores in soils in their areas. They are not suitable for field scale carbon mitigation as this would require field scale carbon assessment. It is often the case that where we have lower below ground carbon (mineral soils) the conditions are great for better tree and vegetation growth to get greater above ground carbon storage. Where below ground carbon storage is greater this is due to wetter conditions and soil waterlogging reducing organic matter decomposition. This leads to poorer growing conditions that result in lower above ground carbon storage. The addition of the above and below ground carbon layers seems to mean that carbon data is more homogenised and has much less carbon variation within areas. Although Total Carbon Storage is useful the data user will also need to refer back to input data to understand why the results occur across the landscape area.

Total Carbon Storage adds the two carbon storage layers together. As the above & below ground carbon storage layers indicate the range of carbon storage values in tonnes of carbon per hectare (t C Ha-1 ). At a local scale (e.g. 1:50 000). They are presented as a series of raster datasets for use in GIS Systems at a resolution of 25m2. Each 25m2 has a carbon total form the layers and these are added together spatially to create the total carbon layer in tonnes of carbon per hectare (t C Ha-1 ) NE PHI/ Ancient Woodland - OGL NE Living England - OGL NE Peat Map [2008] - Non- commercial licence NFI-National Forest Inventory (NFI) Forest Research- OGL Soilscapes - Cranfield University- NE Bespoke Licence SRTM- NASA Shuttle Radar Topography- Open Topography Attribution statement: © Natural England [Year], reproduced with the permission of Natural England, www.gov.uk/natural-england. © Crown Copyright and database right [Year]. Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000851168. Contains, or is based on, information supplied by the Forestry Commission. © Crown copyright and database right [Year] Ordnance Survey 100021242 Soils Data © Cranfield University (NSRI) and for the Controller of HMSO [Year] NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)(2013). Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Global. Distributed by OpenTopography. https://doi.org/10.5069/G9445JDF. Accessed: 2024-05-17

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Additional information

Source Metadata
XML, HTML
Date added
28 July 2025
Harvest GUID
e7d9eb20-6559-4e38-8c6c-b75c530490b6
Extent (Latitude)
55.816° to 49.943°
Extent (Longitude)
-6.236° to 2.072°
Spatial reference system
http://www.opengis.net/def/crs/EPSG/0/27700
Dataset reference date (creation)
2022-09-01
Dataset reference date (publication)
2025-01-15
Dataset reference date (revision)
2025-05-15
Frequency of update
asNeeded
Access constraints
NE PHI/ Ancient Woodland - OGL NE Living England - OGL NE Peatmap [2008] - Non- comercial licence NFI-National Forest Inventory (NFI) Forest Reserach- OGL Soilscapes - Cranfield University- NE Bespoke Licence SRTM- NASA ShuttleRadar Topography- Open Topography
Responsible party
Natural England (pointOfContact)
ISO 19139 resource type
dataset
Metadata language
eng

Contact

Enquiries

data.services@naturalengland.org.uk

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Licence information

Open Government Licence, NE PHI/ Ancient Woodland - OGL\nNE Living England - OGL\nNE Peatmap 2008 - Non- comercial licence\nNFI-National Forest Inventory (NFI) Forest Reserach- OGL\nSoilscapes - Cranfield University- NE Bespoke Licence\nSRTM- NASA ShuttleRadar Topography- Open Topography

More from this publisher

All datasets from Natural England