Soil Moisture — Benchmark Detail

Benchmark Value

0.3 %

Thresholds: Lower: 0.3, Upper: —

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: LowerThreshold

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.

Contributing Benchmarks

CompositeFramework Primary OptimalRange Guard OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard CompositeFramework Guard Point Guard

Evidence & Context

A persistent 'Proportion Full' index below 0.3, corresponding to a flood-return interval exceeding 5-7 years, indicates severe water stress and risk of ecosystem decline.

Metric Definition:

TERN SMIPS 'Proportion Full' index indicating soil moisture state below which severe water stress occurs.

Benchmark Definition:

Lower critical threshold for soil moisture indicating severe water stress and ecosystem risk.

Justification:

This threshold corresponds to a flood-return interval exceeding 5-7 years and is correlated with a Leaf Area Index (LAI) < 0.5.

Sources (1)

Preview of Quantifying water requirements of riparian river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia – implications for the management of environmental flows

Quantifying water requirements of riparian river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia – implications for the management of environmental flows Journal

Quantifying water requirements of riparian river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia – implications for the management of environmental flows

View Source

Supporting Sources (1)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Australian dryland soils are acidic and nutrient-depleted, and have unique microbial communities compared with other drylands - PMC

Contextual Support Government

(PDF) Ecological response of Eucalyptus camaldulensis (river red ..., accessed July 19, 2025

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Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems
Land Use Production Forestry
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 22 Mar 2026

Notes

No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. Indicates severe water stress and risk of ecosystem decline.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AIF-FOR-SMO family.