Australian Dryland Salinity Risk Forecasts 2000-2050

Australian Dryland Salinity Assessment Spatial Data provides national-scale maps of salinity risk and hazard for the years 2000, 2020, and 2050. The dataset was compiled by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences under the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, originating from the National Land and Water Resources Audit in 2001. It identifies regions with high salinity risk or hazard based on geological, landscape, regolith, land use, and climate attributes.

Use Cases

• Modeling future land degradation by comparing salinity risk forecasts for 2000, 2020, and 2050.
• Identifying priority regions for groundwater monitoring based on mapped high salinity hazard areas.
• Assessing the impact of land use changes on salinity risk using geological and climate attribute data.
• Targeting land management interventions in southern Australia using groundwater level and trend data.

Strengths

• Provides multi-decadal forecasts for 2000, 2020, and 2050.
• Covers national-scale spatial data for Australia.
• Based on geological, landscape, regolith, land use, and climate attributes.

Limitations

• Groundwater data for trend analysis is sparse or non-existent in northern Australia.
• Non-agricultural areas in Western Australia, South Australia, and western New South Wales were not assessed.
• The data provider does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information.

Provenance

Source

Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry.

Collection Method

Compilation of dryland salinity risk and hazard mapping using groundwater data where available and geological/landscape attributes elsewhere.

Time Range

Forecasts for 2000, 2020, and 2050.

Freshness

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Geography

National coverage of Australia.