Water Turbidity
Benchmark Value
Scoring Curve
This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 11 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 10 guard(s) constrain the result.
Evidence & Context
This report has established a water turbidity benchmark of < 25 NTU for Australia's Arid Inland Floodplains and Ephemeral River Systems managed for conservation.
Water turbidity during baseflow or low-flow conditions representing the 80th percentile turbidity for high-health conservation areas in arid inland floodplains.
This benchmark represents the upper limit of water turbidity during baseflow conditions in conservation areas of Australia's arid inland floodplains, protecting against excessive sediment loads.
Derived by synthesizing the ANZECC (2000) default trigger value range for lowland rivers (6-50 NTU) with empirical evidence that healthy arid rivers are naturally characterized by 'relatively high turbidity.'
Sources (2)
Ecological condition of central Australian arid-zone rivers - PubMed
View SourceSupporting Sources (2)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
The Natural Sediment Regime in Rivers: Broadening the Foundation for Ecosystem Management - ResearchGate
View SourceThe Environmental Impact of High Turbidity Levels in Water Bodies - BOQU Instrument
View Source