Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-AMR-CON-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

2 dS/m

Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 2

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: UpperThreshold

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 soil ECe value of > 2.0 dS/m is proposed as the upper detrimental threshold.

Metric Definition:

Upper detrimental threshold for soil electrical conductivity (EC) indicating onset of landscape degradation.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark marks the upper detrimental threshold of soil electrical conductivity beyond which salinity stress causes significant ecosystem degradation in the Australian Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands.

Justification:

Levels exceeding this indicate a significant departure from the natural condition and a shift towards a saline-stressed state, which is considered degraded for the Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands biome.

Sources (1)

Preview of Soil Electrical Conductivity - Natural Resources Conservation Service, accessed May 16, 2025,

Soil Electrical Conductivity - Natural Resources Conservation Service, accessed May 16, 2025, Journal

USDA 12

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Alice Mulga SuperSite | Soil & Vegetation Monitoring - TERN Australia, accessed July 22, 2025,

Direct Evidence Government

Great Western Woodlands, Ground Water Data, 2014 - TERN Data Discovery Portal, accessed July 10, 2025,

View Source

Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia - esoil.io, accessed July 13, 2025

Direct Evidence Government

Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia - esoil.io, accessed July 26, 2025,

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands
Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
Assessment Conservation Target
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 21 Mar 2026

Notes

At this level, characteristic non-halophytic plant communities begin to suffer, signaling a fundamental and detrimental change in ecosystem character and function.

Related Benchmarks

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