Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-AIF-LVG-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

0.1 dS/m

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: MinimumOnly

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 16 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 15 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

Therefore, the upper detrimental threshold is defined as an ECe of > 2.0 dS/m.

Metric Definition:

Upper detrimental threshold of soil EC indicating ecological tipping point to degradation.

Benchmark Definition:

Threshold above which soil EC causes ecological degradation.

Justification:

Exceeding this value marks a tipping point towards a degraded state with loss of salt-sensitive species.

Sources (1)

Preview of Salinity - Murray–Darling Basin Authority, accessed August 11, 2025,

Salinity - Murray–Darling Basin Authority, accessed August 11, 2025, Government

Basin Plan water quality targets; Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZG 2018/ANZECC 2000); Australia State of the Environment 2021: Inland water

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 21 Mar 2026

Notes

Indicates transition from healthy grazing landscape to degraded state due to salinity. ConsistencyResolver applied 2026-03-23 00:20 UTC: BenchmarkValue 2 → 0.1 (check: MinAboveOptimalHigh, rationale: The Notes indicate that values above 2.0 dS/m cause degradation, so the MinimumOnly threshold (a floor) should be below the OptimalRange low (0.2) to avoid penalizing all optimal values. Setting BenchmarkValue to 0.1 places the floor below the optimal range, resolving the contradiction.)

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AIF-LVG-SEC family.