Soil Moisture

AUS-TSR-FOR-SMO General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

26 % VWC

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: MinimumOnly

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 MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

The Lower Critical Threshold for the onset of water stress in this biome is estimated at a volumetric water content (VWC) of approximately 0.26 m³/m³.

Metric Definition:

Critical soil moisture threshold (θcrit) at which plant evapotranspiration becomes limited by water availability

Benchmark Definition:

Critical soil moisture threshold for the onset of water stress in tropical rainforest soils, below which plants begin to conserve water.

Justification:

Based on a comprehensive global study leveraging satellite and flux tower data for humid ecosystems including tropical rainforests.

Sources (1)

Preview of Global critical soil moisture thresholds of plant water stress - PMC, accessed July 19, 2025,

Global critical soil moisture thresholds of plant water stress - PMC, accessed July 19, 2025, Journal

Global critical soil moisture thresholds of plant water stress - PMC, accessed July 20, 2025

View Source

Supporting Sources (4)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Soil disturbance rehabilitation: A desk guide to techniques and monitoring - Forest Service, accessed July 20, 2025

Direct Evidence Journal

Soil disturbance rehabilitation: A desk guide to techniques and monitoring - Forest Service, accessed July 20, 2025

View Source

Soil health assessment of forest soils [Chapter 6] - Forest Service, accessed July 30, 2025

Direct Evidence Journal

Soil health assessment of forest soils [Chapter 6] - Forest Service, accessed July 20, 2025

View Source

Soil Research - CSIRO PUBLISHING, accessed July 20, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

Soil Research - CSIRO PUBLISHING, accessed July 30, 2025,

View Source

TERN. TERN – Australia's Ecosystem Observatory Network, highlights for 2018-2023.

Direct Evidence Government

Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation BASE Contextual, Soil ..., accessed July 20, 2025

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical & Subtropical Rainforests
Land Use Production Forestry
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 10 Jun 2026

Notes

Below this level, plants begin to actively conserve water, marking the onset of a water-limited regime. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TSR-FOR-SMO family.