Soil Water Infiltration Rate

AUS-TMS-AGR-SWI General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

10 mm/hr

Direction: Higher 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 11 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 10 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

Proposed Lower Critical Threshold: < 10 mm/hr.

Metric Definition:

Soil Water Infiltration Rate (SWIR) as the velocity at which water enters the soil matrix.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines a critical lower threshold for soil water infiltration rate below which soil function is severely impaired, leading to environmental harm in Australian Tropical Monsoonal Savannas under agricultural crop production.

Justification:

SWIR values below 10 mm/hr are highly likely to generate substantial surface runoff and initiate significant soil erosion, associated with severe soil structural degradation such as compaction and surface crusting.

Sources (2)

Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (NT DAF) (1999) GreyLiterature

Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (NT DAF) (1999)

View Source

Preview of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. (n.d.). Soil Quality Indicators: Infiltration.

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. (n.d.). Soil Quality Indicators: Infiltration. Journal

Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS)

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Nutrient Loss and Water Quality - Oklahoma State University Extension, accessed July 6, 2025,

Contextual Support Government

Nutrient Loss and Water Quality - Oklahoma State University Extension, accessed July 16, 2025,

View Source

The effect of soil and pasture attributes on ... - CSIRO Publishing

Direct Evidence Journal

CSIRO (2016)

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical Monsoonal Savannas
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 5 Jun 2026

Notes

This threshold is critical under the intense rainfall events common in tropical monsoonal savannas and signals urgent need for management intervention. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TMS-AGR-SWI family.