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Data

TERN Ecosystem Surveillance: Soil Sample 

Ver: 2.0
Status of Data: onGoing
Update Frequency: asNeeded
Security Classification: unclassified
Record Last Modified: 2025-12-02
Viewed 315 times
Accessed 60 times
Dataset Created: 2010-10-30
Dataset Published: 2025-06-16
Data can be accessed from the following links:
HTTPPoint-of-truth metadata URLHTTPTERN EcoPlots APIHTTPTERN EcoPlots PortalHTTPro-crate-metadata.json
How to cite this collection:
Sparrow, B., Tokmakoff, A., Leitch, E., Guerin, G., O'Neill, S., Macdonald, C., Lowe, A., Flitton, R., Saleeba, T., Coish, C., Starkey, M., Irvine, K., Francis, N., Potter, T., Pink, L., Finn, L., Martin-Fores, I. & TERN Ecosystem Surveillance (2025). TERN Ecosystem Surveillance: Soil Sample. Version 2.0. Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network. Dataset. https://portal.tern.org.au/metadata/4dac9473-d0c6-4f50-8bdd-1705e0f29d57 
This dataset lists observations on soil samples collected in rangeland sites across Australia by the TERN Surveillance Monitoring team, using standardised AusPlots methodologies. Soil samples are collected at each site as part of the AusPlots Soil Samples method. For each soil sample fine earth bulk density, gravel bulk density, wet and dry weight are estimated and coarse fragments lithology, abundance, size and shape observed as part of the AusPlots Soil Samples and Soil Bulk Density method. 
Credit
We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Datasets funded by TERN include the following statement “This work was jointly funded by the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), an Australian Government National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) project. 
Purpose
Soil Samples provide information about bulk density and physical composition of the soil, necessary to quantify parameters such as carbon and water content. These measurements will give an initial characterisation of the variability in soil characteristics across Australian rangelands, alleviating the paucity of soil data information of this important ecosystem. 
Lineage
Data not provided. 
Method DocumentationAusPlots Rangelands Survey Protocols ManualAusplots Rangelands Survey Protocols Manual
Procedure Steps

1. 

AusPlots Rangelands Protocols - Soil sample:  

Australia's major biomes
Temporal Coverage
From 2010-10-30 to on going 
Spatial Resolution

Data not provided.

Vertical Extent

Data not provided.

ANZSRC - FOR
Soil sciences
GCMD Sciences
LAND SURFACE - SOIL BULK DENSITY
Horizontal Resolution
1 meter - < 30 meters
Parameters
fine earth bulk density
fine earth volume
fine earth weight
gravel bulk density
gravel volume
gravel weight
soil bulk density
soil oven-dried weight
wet soil weight
Temporal Resolution
Decadal
Topic
biota
environment
User Defined
Soil Sample
Author
Sparrow, Ben
Co-Author
Tokmakoff, Andrew
Leitch, Emrys
Guerin, Greg
O'Neill, Sally
Macdonald, Christina
Lowe, Andy
Flitton, Rick
Saleeba, Tom
Coish, Caleb
Starkey, Michael
Irvine, Katie
Francis, Nikki
Potter, Tamara
Pink, Lachlan
Finn, Luke
Martin-Fores, Irene
TERN Ecosystem Surveillance
Contact Point
TERN Ecosystem Surveillance
Steen, Carly
Lewis, Donna
Publisher
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
AusPlots Rangelands Survey Protocols ManualAusplots Rangelands Survey Protocols Manual
By Parent record
TERN Ecosystem Surveillance Monitoring
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Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
TERN services are provided on an “as-is” and “as available” basis. Users use any TERN services at their discretion and risk. They will be solely responsible for any damage or loss whatsoever that results from such use including use of any data obtained through TERN and any analysis performed using the TERN infrastructure. Web links to and from external, third party websites should not be construed as implying any relationships with and/or endorsement of the external site or its content by TERN. 
Attribution and citation is required in any publication that uses TERN Surveillance Monitoring data. We ask you to send citations and copies of publications arising from work that use these data to ben.sparrow@adelaide.edu.au, copy esupport@tern.org.au or advise via the online form at https://www.tern.org.au/research-publications/#reporting These data have been released in the spirit of open scientific collaboration. Data users are encouraged to consider consultation with ben.sparrow@adelaide.edu.au to minimize duplication of research.