Soil Moisture

AUS-AIF-CON-SMO General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

43.7 % VWC
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: Point

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is Point, 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

Based on high-quality soil science research, this value is 43.7% volumetric water content (VWC).

Metric Definition:

Volumetric water content (VWC) at Field Capacity (FC), representing the soil profile being fully charged with plant-available water following a flood pulse.

Benchmark Definition:

Field Capacity (FC) is the maximum amount of water held in the soil that is available to plants after excess water has drained away, specific to the Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems biome under conservation land use.

Justification:

FC represents the soil profile being fully charged with plant-available water immediately following a flood pulse, which fuels the ecosystem's 'boom' in productivity and resilience.

Sources (4)

Preview of Critical soil moisture thresholds of plant water stress in terrestrial ecosystems, accessed July 21, 2025
Critical soil moisture thresholds of plant water stress in terrestrial ecosystems, accessed July 21, 2025 GreyLiterature

Critical soil moisture thresholds of plant water stress in terrestrial ecosystems, accessed July 21, 2025

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Preview of Global critical soil moisture thresholds of plant water stress, accessed July 21, 2025
Global critical soil moisture thresholds of plant water stress, accessed July 21, 2025 Journal

Global critical soil moisture thresholds of plant water stress, accessed July 21, 2025

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Preview of Modelling and prediction of soil water contents at field capacity and permanent wilting point of dryland cropping soils - ResearchGate, accessed July 19, 2025,
Modelling and prediction of soil water contents at field capacity and permanent wilting point of dryland cropping soils - ResearchGate, accessed July 19, 2025,

Modelling and prediction of soil water contents at field capacity and permanent wilting point of dryland cropping soils - ResearchGate

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Preview of Soil Research - CSIRO PUBLISHING, accessed July 18, 2025,
Soil Research - CSIRO PUBLISHING, accessed July 18, 2025, Journal

Modelling and prediction of soil water contents at field capacity and permanent wilting point of dryland cropping soils - CSIRO PUBLISHING | Soil Research

View Source

Supporting Sources (27)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Are extreme wet periods the key to successful floodplain tree recruitment in the Queensland Murray0Darling Basin?, accessed July 21, 2025
Are extreme wet periods the key to successful floodplain tree recruitment in the Queensland Murray0Darling Basin?, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Are extreme wet periods the key to successful floodplain tree recruitment in the Queensland Murray0Darling Basin?, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, accessed July 21, 2025
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, accessed July 21, 2025

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Preview of Australian Soil Classification edition 3 - CALCAROSOLS
Australian Soil Classification edition 3 - CALCAROSOLS
Contextual Support Government

Monitoring changes in soil salinity and sodicity to depth, at a ...

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Preview of Channel Country Planned Burn Guideline - Parks and forests, accessed July 21, 2025
Channel Country Planned Burn Guideline - Parks and forests, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Channel Country Planned Burn Guideline - Parks and forests, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Chapter 7 Nutrient Leaching - SIPS Soil & Crop Sciences Section, accessed July 21, 2025
Chapter 7 Nutrient Leaching - SIPS Soil & Crop Sciences Section, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Chapter 7 Nutrient Leaching - SIPS Soil & Crop Sciences Section, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Getting the measure of soil moisture in Australia | TERN Australia, accessed July 19, 2025,
Getting the measure of soil moisture in Australia | TERN Australia, accessed July 19, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Getting the measure of soil moisture in Australia | TERN Australia

View Source
Preview of Getting the measure of soil moisture in Australia, accessed July 18, 2025,
Getting the measure of soil moisture in Australia, accessed July 18, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Getting the measure of soil moisture in Australia, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Global soil moisture in 'permanent' decline due to climate change - Carbon Brief, accessed July 21, 2025
Global soil moisture in 'permanent' decline due to climate change - Carbon Brief, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Global soil moisture in 'permanent' decline due to climate change - Carbon Brief, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Health of the Lake Eyre Basin - DCCEEW, accessed July 21, 2025
Health of the Lake Eyre Basin - DCCEEW, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Government

About the Lake Eyre Basin - DCCEEW

View Source
Preview of Iconic Soils of NSW - Black Vertosol - YouTube, accessed July 21, 2025
Iconic Soils of NSW - Black Vertosol - YouTube, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Iconic Soils of NSW - Black Vertosol - YouTube, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Impact of Water Saturated Soils on Crop and their Effective Crop Reclamation Techniques under Flooded Eco-System, accessed July 21, 2025
Impact of Water Saturated Soils on Crop and their Effective Crop Reclamation Techniques under Flooded Eco-System, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Government

Impact of Water Saturated Soils on Crop and their Effective Crop Reclamation Techniques under Flooded Eco-System, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Impacts of Different Tillage Practices on Soil Water Infiltration for Sustainable Agriculture, accessed July 7, 2025
Impacts of Different Tillage Practices on Soil Water Infiltration for Sustainable Agriculture, accessed July 7, 2025
Contextual Support

VERTISOLS (VR), accessed July 18, 2025

View Source
Preview of National Guidance on Acid Sulfate Soils - Water Quality Australia
National Guidance on Acid Sulfate Soils - Water Quality Australia
Contextual Support Journal

Managing soils - Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, accessed July 17, 2025

View Source
Preview of Resilience of floodplain ecosystems in a semi-arid environment - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 20, 2025,
Resilience of floodplain ecosystems in a semi-arid environment - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 20, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Creating a sustainable Murray-Darling - The Nature Conservancy Australia, accessed July 20, 2025

View Source
Preview of Rising temperature depletes soil moisture and exacerbates severe drought conditions across southeast Australia - University of Edinburgh Research Explorer, accessed July 21, 2025
Rising temperature depletes soil moisture and exacerbates severe drought conditions across southeast Australia - University of Edinburgh Research Explorer, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Rising temperature depletes soil moisture and exacerbates severe drought conditions across southeast Australia - University of Edinburgh Research Explorer, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Soil and Crop Management Practices to Minimize the Impact of Waterlogging on Crop Productivity - ACIAR Research, accessed July 7, 2025,
Soil and Crop Management Practices to Minimize the Impact of Waterlogging on Crop Productivity - ACIAR Research, accessed July 7, 2025,
Contextual Support

Managing waterlogging in crops - Local Land Services - NSW Government, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Soil and Crop Management Practices to Minimize the Impact of Waterlogging on Crop Productivity - PMC - PubMed Central, accessed July 19, 2025,
Soil and Crop Management Practices to Minimize the Impact of Waterlogging on Crop Productivity - PMC - PubMed Central, accessed July 19, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Chapter 18 - Waterlogging and submergence, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Soil and Crop Management Practices to Minimize the Impact of Waterlogging on Crop Productivity - PMC - PubMed Central, accessed July 21, 2025
Soil and Crop Management Practices to Minimize the Impact of Waterlogging on Crop Productivity - PMC - PubMed Central, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Soil and Crop Management Practices to Minimize the Impact of Waterlogging on Crop Productivity - PMC - PubMed Central, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Soil Characteristics and Management Options | VRO - Victorian Resources Online, accessed July 21, 2025
Soil Characteristics and Management Options | VRO - Victorian Resources Online, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Government

Soil Characteristics and Management Options | VRO - Victorian Resources Online, accessed July 21, 2025

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Preview of Soil Water - Tas | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au, accessed August 4, 2025,
Soil Water - Tas | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au, accessed August 4, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Healthy soils and water infiltration in the paddock - Local Land Services - NSW Government

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Preview of South Australian Arid Lands Biodiversity Strategy - Convention on Biological Diversity, accessed July 21, 2025
South Australian Arid Lands Biodiversity Strategy - Convention on Biological Diversity, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

South Australian Arid Lands Biodiversity Strategy - Convention on Biological Diversity, accessed July 21, 2025

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Preview of supporting sustainable development - risks and impacts of plant ...
supporting sustainable development - risks and impacts of plant ...
Contextual Support Journal

Northern Rivers Soil Health Card - NSW Department of Primary ...

View Source
Preview of The response of dryland floodplain vegetation productivity to flooding and drying | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 21, 2025
The response of dryland floodplain vegetation productivity to flooding and drying | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Quantifying Australia's dryland vegetation response to flooding and drought at sub-continental scale | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of The use of remote sensing indices to understand flood0recharged soil moisture impacts on trees in semi0arid floodplains: A review - ResearchGate, accessed July 21, 2025
The use of remote sensing indices to understand flood0recharged soil moisture impacts on trees in semi0arid floodplains: A review - ResearchGate, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

(PDF) Review of Water Requirements for Key Floodplain Vegetation for the Northern Basin: literature review and expert knowledge assessment - ResearchGate, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Understanding Soil Water Content and Thresholds for Irrigation Management, accessed July 21, 2025
Understanding Soil Water Content and Thresholds for Irrigation Management, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Understanding Soil Water Content and Thresholds for Irrigation Management, accessed July 21, 2025

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Preview of Untitled - Northern Territory Government, accessed July 21, 2025
Untitled - Northern Territory Government, accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Effects of flooding on seedling establishment in two Australian riparian trees with contrasting distributions; Acacia stenophylla A. Cunn. ex Benth. and Casuarina cunninghamiana Miq. - ResearchGate, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of VERTISOLS (VR), accessed July 21, 2025
VERTISOLS (VR), accessed July 21, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Modeling the vertical distribution of soil organic carbon in temperate forest soils on the basis of solute transport - Frontiers

View Source

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

Lower Critical Threshold: 12 %. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. The optimal functional range for ecosystem health is 12% - 44% VWC. The detrimental factor is duration of waterlogging causing soil anoxia.