Soil pH
Benchmark Value
Scoring Curve
This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 6 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 5 guard(s) constrain the result.
Contributing Benchmarks
Evidence & Context
The Optimal Range for overall ecosystem health, representing the interquartile range of reference sites, is approximately pH(water) 6.8 to 8.2.
Soil pH measured in a 1:5 soil-to-water solution (pHw) in the topsoil layer (0-10 cm).
Interquartile range of soil pH values from reference conservation sites representing optimal ecosystem health.
Defined by the central 50% of pH values from the Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia data for protected natural areas.
Sources (1)
Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia - CSIRO
View SourceSupporting Sources (4)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
Caritat, P. de, & Cooper, M. (2011). The pH of Australian soils: Field results from a national survey. Soil Research, 49, 172-182.
View SourceSoil and Landscape Grid National Soil Attribute Maps - pH (Water) (3" resolution) - Release 1. v2
View SourceSoil and Landscape Grid National Soil Attribute Maps - pH - Calcium Chloride (3" resolution) - Release 2 - TERN Data Discovery Portal
View SourceSoil pH Explained - Soil Quality Knowledge Base
View Source