Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TSW-AGR-SOC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range
Range: 0.9 to 1.5 %
Optimal Range: 0.9 to 1.5
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: OptimalRange

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

A functional optimal range for this biome is approximately 0.9% to 1.5% SOC, where soils exhibit good health and resilience, though not necessarily reaching their maximum potential.

Metric Definition:

Optimal functional range of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in the 0-10 cm soil layer representing good soil health and resilience.

Benchmark Definition:

Optimal functional range for SOC indicating good soil condition and resilience.

Justification:

Range synthesized from regional data sources defining low and moderate SOC categories for cropping systems.

Sources (1)

Preview of Thinking about a soil carbon project? Understand soil data first ...
Thinking about a soil carbon project? Understand soil data first ... GreyLiterature

Thinking about a soil carbon project? Understand soil data first ..., accessed July 7, 2025,

View Source

Supporting Sources (4)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Can soil organic matter be increased in a continuous cropping system in the low to medium rainfall zone? | Birchip Cropping Group
Can soil organic matter be increased in a continuous cropping system in the low to medium rainfall zone? | Birchip Cropping Group
Contextual Support

(PDF) Soil carbon dynamics under different cropping and pasture management in temperate Australia: Results of three long-term experiments - ResearchGate

View Source
Preview of Organic Carbon Storage - WA | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au, accessed July 6, 2025,
Organic Carbon Storage - WA | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au, accessed July 6, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Organic Carbon Storage - WA | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au, accessed July 7, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Soil Carbon Saturation: What Do We Really Know? - PMC - PubMed Central
Soil Carbon Saturation: What Do We Really Know? - PMC - PubMed Central
Contextual Support Journal

Soil Carbon Saturation: What Do We Really Know? - PMC - PubMed Central, accessed July 7, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Thinking about a soil carbon project? Understand soil data first ..., accessed August 5, 2025,
Thinking about a soil carbon project? Understand soil data first ..., accessed August 5, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Challenging claimed benefits of soil carbon sequestration for mitigating climate change and increasing crop yields: Heresy or sober realism? - PubMed Central, accessed July 7, 2025,

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Temperate Semi-Arid Shrublands & Open Woodlands
  • Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
  • Assessment Not Stated
  • Evidence Type HealthyOperationalRange

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 5 Jun 2026

Notes

Soils within this range are considered to be in good condition, capable of supporting productive crops and resilient to moderate stress. The upper end (>1.3%) represents transition into high health state. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.