Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TSW-CON-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

2 dS/m

Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 2

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: MaximumOnly

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 10 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 9 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard UpperThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

A conservative upper threshold of >2.0 dS/m (EC 1:5) is therefore proposed as the limit for a healthy ecosystem.

Metric Definition:

Soil electrical conductivity (EC) is a measure of the ability of the soil solution to conduct an electrical current, reported in units of deciSiemens per meter (dS/m).

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the upper soil electrical conductivity limit beyond which ecosystem health is likely to be compromised due to salinity stress in the temperate semi-arid shrublands and open woodlands biome.

Justification:

This value represents a nearly 100-fold increase from the reference benchmark and signals a significant failure of hydrological control.

Sources (1)

Research on Soil Management and Conservation - MDPI Journal

Research on Soil Management and Conservation - MDPI

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Semi-Arid Shrublands & Open Woodlands
Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
Assessment Conservation Target
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 21 Mar 2026

Notes

Sustained EC above this threshold requires active management intervention.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TSW-CON-SEC family.