Water Nitrate
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 8 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 7 guard(s) constrain the result.
Evidence & Context
At 'Very Good' sites, the median concentration for Oxidized Nitrogen (NOx) - representing the combined total of nitrate and nitrite - is recorded at 0.0135 mg/L. Because nitrite concentrations are typically negligible in well-oxygenated surface waters, this NOx value serves as a direct and accurate proxy for nitrate concentration alone.
Oxidised Nitrogen (NOx), effectively representing nitrate concentration in water.
Median Oxidised Nitrogen concentration in very good condition streams representing best available condition in Temperate Grassy Woodlands & Plains under conservation land use.
This value is selected as it represents the best available real-world measurement of a high-health, "least disturbed" system and aligns with the ecological principle that intact Temperate Grassy Woodlands are low-nutrient environments with tight nitrogen cycling and minimal nutrient leakage into waterways.
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Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
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