Soil Water Infiltration Rate

AUS-AMR-AGR-SWI General High confidence

Benchmark Value

10 mm/hr
Thresholds: Lower: 10, Upper: —
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: LowerThreshold

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 18 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 17 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary LowerThreshold Guard MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard MinimumOnly Guard LowerThreshold Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard UpperThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard

Evidence & Context

This research, conducted under natural rainfall conditions, found that the formation of a surface crust on bare, untilled soil limited the steady-state infiltration rate to approximately 10 mm/hr.

Metric Definition:

Steady-state soil water infiltration rate below which runoff and erosion dominate.

Benchmark Definition:

Lower critical threshold for soil water infiltration rate indicating system degradation due to surface crusting and runoff dominance.

Justification:

Value supported by multiple studies on soil crusting and corroborated by baseline measurements at degraded sites.

Sources (1)

Preview of Report on the Condition of Agricultural Land in South Australia - Department for Environment and Water
Report on the Condition of Agricultural Land in South Australia - Department for Environment and Water Journal

Rainfall infiltration and runoff from an Alfisol in semi-arid tropical India. I. No-till systems1

View Source

Supporting Sources (1)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Water ponding for pastoral production in central Australia
Water ponding for pastoral production in central Australia
Direct Evidence Journal

Classifying Soil by Infiltration Rate - Number Analytics, accessed July 7, 2025

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Arid Mountain Ranges & Uplands
  • Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 19 Mar 2026

Notes

Below this threshold, runoff becomes a direct function of rainfall intensity, leading to system degradation.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-AMR-AGR-SWI family.

33 mm/hr High
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
Point Active v1
20 mm/hr High
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
Point Active v1
— mm/hr Moderate
Agricultural Crop Production · Pristine Reference
OptimalRange Active v1