Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-AIF-CON-SEC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range
Range: 2 to 4 dS/m
Optimal Range: 2 to 4
Direction: Lower 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.

Contributing Benchmarks

CompositeFramework Primary Point Guard OptimalRange Guard OptimalRange Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

The typical range observed in healthy reference sites is < 2.0 - 4.0 dS/m (ECe​).

Metric Definition:

Typical range of estimated saturated paste electrical conductivity (ECe​) in healthy reference sites

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the typical range of soil electrical conductivity in healthy, undisturbed floodplain woodlands and native understorey communities in arid inland floodplains.

Justification:

Derived from the interquartile range of ECe values from TERN AusPlots high-integrity conservation sites.

Sources (1)

Preview of TERN Surveillance monitoring program: Soil vis-NIR spectral library with accompanying soil measurement data for 367 specimens
TERN Surveillance monitoring program: Soil vis-NIR spectral library with accompanying soil measurement data for 367 specimens Government

TERN Surveillance monitoring program: Soil vis-NIR spectral library with accompanying soil measurement data for 367 specimens

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Supporting Sources (1)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Table 2: Indicative Salinity Tolerance Thresholds (ECe�) for Key Native Indicator Species of Arid Floodplain Ecosystems
Table 2: Indicative Salinity Tolerance Thresholds (ECe�) for Key Native Indicator Species of Arid Floodplain Ecosystems
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Table 2: Indicative Salinity Tolerance Thresholds (ECe�) for Key Native Indicator Species of Arid Floodplain Ecosystems

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Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems
  • Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 7 Jun 2026

Notes

Represents the optimal functional range supporting resilient floodplain woodlands and diverse native understorey communities.