Soil Moisture

AUS-AMR-CON-SMO General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 14 to 20 % VWC

Optimal Range: 14 to 20

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: OptimalRange

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.

Evidence & Context

The following table synthesizes data from soil science literature to provide indicative values for Permanent Wilting Point (PWP), Field Capacity (FC), and the resulting Plant Available Water (PAW). These values represent the operational range for maintaining ecological function.

Metric Definition:

Soil moisture as volumetric water content (VWC) representing the water available in the soil between the Permanent Wilting Point (PWP) and Field Capacity (FC).

Benchmark Definition:

The functional range of soil moisture between the Permanent Wilting Point and Field Capacity for clay soils in arid mountain ranges under conservation management.

Justification:

Values are synthesized from multiple sources and presented as ranges to reflect natural variability in structure and organic matter content.

Sources (1)

Preview of MacDonnell Ranges bioregion - DCCEEW

MacDonnell Ranges bioregion - DCCEEW Journal

Soil Constraints in an Arid Environment—Challenges, Prospects ...

View Source

Supporting Sources (5)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Break Crops - Stubble Management Guidelines, accessed July 27, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Break Crops - Stubble Management Guidelines, accessed July 27, 2025,

View Source

Deserts of Australia - Wikipedia, accessed July 6, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Deserts of Australia - Wikipedia, accessed July 27, 2025

View Source

Plant available water: How do I determine field capacity and permanent wilting point?, accessed July 7, 2025,

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

A global dataset of remote sensing-based soil critical point and ...

View Source

Soil Groups of Western Australia - SoilsWest

Contextual Support Journal

Soil Groups of Western Australia - SoilsWest

View Source

The Great Western Woodlands TERN SuperSite: ecosystem monitoring infrastructure and key science learnings

Contextual Support Journal

The Great Western Woodlands TERN SuperSite: ecosystem monitoring infrastructure and key science learnings

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands
Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
Assessment Conservation Target
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Rejected
Version 2
Effective From 7 Jun 2026
Effective To 7 Jun 2026

Notes

The PWP represents the critical lower threshold to be avoided, while the PAW represents the volume of water the ecosystem has to work with to sustain itself between rainfall events. No upper detrimental threshold from natural precipitation is identified. Note: The lower threshold (18%) is higher than the start of the optimal range (14%), which may require further review. Pipeline quarantine: Lower confidence than existing active benchmark v1 (High). Rejected by operator on 2026-06-07 10:02 UTC

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AMR-CON-SMO family.