Soil Nitrogen

AUS-ASC-LVG-SON General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

12000 mg/kg
Thresholds: Lower: —, Upper: 1.2E+04
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 13 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 12 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

Any Total Soil Nitrogen value significantly above the observed natural range (i.e., >12,000 mg/kg) should be considered an indicator of an unnatural, eutrophic, and degraded state.

Metric Definition:

Upper detrimental threshold for Total Soil Nitrogen indicating eutrophic and degraded state.

Benchmark Definition:

An upper detrimental threshold for Total Soil Nitrogen above which the ecosystem is considered eutrophic and degraded.

Justification:

The system is highly sensitive to N enrichment. Total N values significantly above the natural range (>12,000 mg/kg) would indicate an unnatural, eutrophic state.

Sources (1)

Preview of Impact of atmospheric Nitrogen deposition on upland and alpine ecosystems
Impact of atmospheric Nitrogen deposition on upland and alpine ecosystems Journal

Impact of atmospheric Nitrogen deposition on upland and alpine ecosystems

View Source

Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Australian dryland soils are acidic and nutrient‐depleted, and have unique microbial communities compared with other drylands - Arid Ecology Lab, accessed August 3, 2025
Australian dryland soils are acidic and nutrient‐depleted, and have unique microbial communities compared with other drylands - Arid Ecology Lab, accessed August 3, 2025
Direct Evidence Government

Beringer, J., et al. 2022. Carbon and water fluxes over a temperate Eucalyptus forest and a tropical wet/dry savanna in Australia. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 129(3):151-173.

View Source
Preview of Patterns of variation in Australian alpine soils and their relationships to parent material, vegetation formation, climate and topography | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed August 3, 2025,
Patterns of variation in Australian alpine soils and their relationships to parent material, vegetation formation, climate and topography | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed August 3, 2025,
Direct Evidence Journal

Patterns of variation in Australian alpine soils and their relationships to parent material, vegetation formation, climate and topography | Request PDF - ResearchGate

View Source
Preview of STATEMENTS OF UNACCEPTABILITY OF GRAZING IN THE AUSTRALIAN ALPS
STATEMENTS OF UNACCEPTABILITY OF GRAZING IN THE AUSTRALIAN ALPS
Contextual Support

STATEMENTS OF UNACCEPTABILITY OF GRAZING IN THE AUSTRALIAN ALPS

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Alpine and Subalpine Complex
  • Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 24 Mar 2026

Notes

Elevated nitrogen inputs lead to loss of biodiversity, soil acidification, and ecosystem dysfunction.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-ASC-LVG-SON family.

— mg/kg High
Livestock Grazing & Pasture · Pristine Reference
OptimalRange Active v1
1000 mg/kg Moderate
Livestock Grazing & Pasture · Pristine Reference
LowerThreshold Active v1