Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-AIF-LVG-SOC General Low confidence

Benchmark Value

1 %
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: MinimumOnly

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is CompositeFramework, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.

Evidence & Context

An inferred threshold of <1.0% SOC is proposed, below which critical soil functions (e.g., water retention, structural stability) are likely compromised, hindering sustainable grazing.

Metric Definition:

Critical lower threshold of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) below which essential soil functions degrade

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the critical lower limit of soil organic carbon in arid inland floodplains under livestock grazing, below which soil functions essential for sustainable grazing are impaired.

Justification:

Based on general soil science principles and expert inference due to lack of specific quantified thresholds for this biome.

Sources (1)

Preview of Carbon storage value of native vegetation on a subhumid–semi-arid floodplain
Carbon storage value of native vegetation on a subhumid–semi-arid floodplain Journal

Carbon storage value of native vegetation on a subhumid–semi-arid floodplain

View Source

Supporting Sources (1)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Carbon storage in temperate and semi-arid Australian plant communities containing cotton
Carbon storage in temperate and semi-arid Australian plant communities containing cotton
Contextual Support Journal

Baseline map of organic carbon in Australian soil to support national carbon accounting and monitoring under climate change

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems
  • Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
  • Assessment Not Stated
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 3 Jun 2026

Notes

This is an expert-inferred value indicating a state of significant degradation to be avoided. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.