Soil Nitrogen

AUS-TSW-CON-SON General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

2000 mg/kg
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: MaximumOnly

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

Evidence & Context

Proposed Upper Detrimental Threshold: > 2000 mg/kg. This value is significantly above the median range for high-health sites across all soil types.

Metric Definition:

Upper detrimental threshold for total soil nitrogen indicating nitrogen enrichment and ecosystem degradation

Benchmark Definition:

Maximum total soil nitrogen level above which soils are considered unnaturally enriched and degraded in this biome's conservation areas.

Justification:

A soil with total nitrogen exceeding this level has likely transitioned from its natural state to a novel, degraded state.

Sources (1)

Preview of Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia; Soil nitrogen availability in the cereal zone of South Australia. I. Soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and nitrogen mineralisation rates
Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia; Soil nitrogen availability in the cereal zone of South Australia. I. Soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and nitrogen mineralisation rates Government

Soil and Landscape Grid National Soil Attribute Maps - Total Nitrogen (3" resolution) - Release 2

View Source

Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus on vegetation dynamics of a degraded native grassland in semi-arid south-eastern Australia - CSIRO PUBLISHING | The Rangeland Journal, accessed July 13, 2025,
Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus on vegetation dynamics of a degraded native grassland in semi-arid south-eastern Australia - CSIRO PUBLISHING | The Rangeland Journal, accessed July 13, 2025,
Direct Evidence Journal

(PDF) Grassland soil carbon and nitrogen stocks under temperate ..., accessed August 4, 2025,

View Source
Preview of SLGA: Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia (Soil Attributes) | Earth Engine Data Catalog
SLGA: Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia (Soil Attributes) | Earth Engine Data Catalog
Direct Evidence Journal

Soil and Landscape Grid National Soil Attribute Maps - Total Nitrogen (3" resolution) - Release 2 - CSIRO Data Access Portal, accessed July 13, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia - CSIRO, accessed July 30, 2025,
Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia - CSIRO, accessed July 30, 2025,
Direct Evidence Government

Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia - CSIRO

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Temperate Semi-Arid Shrublands & Open Woodlands
  • Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 9 Jun 2026

Notes

Levels above this indicate unnatural enrichment, promoting invasive species and ecosystem degradation.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TSW-CON-SON family.

600 mg/kg Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Pristine Reference
Point Active v1
900 mg/kg Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Pristine Reference
Point Active v1
1200 mg/kg Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Pristine Reference
Point Active v1
300 mg/kg Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Pristine Reference
MinimumOnly Active v1
— mg/kg Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Pristine Reference
OptimalRange Active v1