Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)

AUS-TMS-CON-SEC General High confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 0.01 to 0.1 dS/m

Optimal Range: 0.01 to 0.1

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

Proposed Benchmark Range (EC1:5): <0.01 – 0.10 dS/m

Metric Definition:

Soil Electrical Conductivity measured by the 1:5 soil/water extract method (EC1:5), representing the ability of soil solution to conduct electrical current, indicative of soluble salt concentration.

Benchmark Definition:

The range of soil electrical conductivity values representing the best available natural condition for Tropical Monsoonal Savannas in Australian conservation areas.

Justification:

This EC1:5 range (<0.01 – 0.10 dS/m) reflects the inherently very low salinity of these ancient, leached, nutrient-poor soils (typically Kandosols and Rudosols), based on measurements from undisturbed or minimally disturbed sites in the Northern Territory, including Kakadu National Park.

Sources (1)

Preview of Rance, S.J., et al. (2024). Nutrient limitations to plantation tree growth on three contrasting low fertility soils in the Northern Territory, Australia. Soil Research, SR23128.

Rance, S.J., et al. (2024). Nutrient limitations to plantation tree growth on three contrasting low fertility soils in the Northern Territory, Australia. Soil Research, SR23128. Journal

Rance, S.J., et al. (2024). Nutrient limitations to plantation tree growth on three contrasting low fertility soils in the Northern Territory, Australia. Soil Research, SR23128

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Soil Electrical Conductivity - Natural Resources Conservation Service, accessed May 16, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

USDA 12

View Source

TERN AusPlots soil data from Kakadu National Park.

Direct Evidence

TERN AusPlots soil data from Kakadu National Park

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical Monsoonal Savannas
Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 9 Jun 2026

Notes

This range indicates the non-saline conditions to which native ecosystems are adapted and represents high environmental health and ecological integrity. Values reported as '0' are interpreted as below detection limit (<0.01 dS/m).

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TMS-CON-SEC family.