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Soils - New South Wales

Specify a region: -- select region -- Bega River Bega River Bellinger River Bellinger River Benanee Benanee Border Rivers Border Rivers Brunswick River Brunswick River Bulloo River Bulloo River Castlereagh River Castlereagh River Clarence River Clarence River Clyde River - Jervis Bay Clyde River - Jervis Bay Condamine-Culgoa Rivers Condamine-Culgoa Rivers Coopers Creek Coopers Creek Darling River Darling River East Gippsland East Gippsland Gwydir River Gwydir River Hastings River Hastings River Hawkesbury River Hawkesbury River Hawkesbury River Hunter River Hunter River Karuah River Karuah River Lachlan River Lachlan River Lake Bancannia Lake Bancannia Lake Frome Lake Frome Lake George Lake George Lower Murray River Lower Murray River Macleay River Macleay River Macquarie-Bogan Rivers Macquarie-Bogan Rivers Macquarie - Tuggerah Lakes Macquarie - Tuggerah Lakes Manning River Manning River Moonie River Moonie River Moruya River Moruya River Murray-Riverina Murray-Riverina Murrumbidgee River Murrumbidgee River Namoi River Namoi River Paroo River Paroo River Richmond River Richmond River Shoalhaven River Shoalhaven River Snowy River Snowy River Sydney Coast - Georges River Sydney Coast - Georges River Towamba River Towamba River Tuross River Tuross River Tweed River Tweed River Upper Murray River Upper Murray River Warrego River Warrego River Wollongong Coast Wollongong Coast

New South Wales

Landscape material balances

The availability of light, water and nutrients determines the capacity of land to produce natural vegetation and agricultural yield. In Australia, long-term availability of resources and the consequent potential for generating yield, can be assessed by examining the mass balances of the key resources: water and nutrients (in this case nitrogen and phosphorus). Mass balance gives a quantitative picture of:

• resource inflows or sources;
• resource outflows (including both production outputs and unproductive losses or leakages);
• the resource stock (the amount available for use); and
• the way that the stock changes with time in response to the various inflows and outflows.The mass balances of water and nutrients are linked by carbon (or biomass) since plant biomass is approximately 50% carbon. Balances and cycles of water, nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon interact and constrain each other.
• The rate of plant biomass production determines how much resource is available for harvest and for maintaining natural and farmed animal populations.
• Production of plant biomass is closely linked to plant water use, and is usually a dominant outflow in the landscape water balance.
• Production of plant biomass is linked with uptake of nutrients from soil into plants, after which the nutrients are locally recycled through litter or removed in plant or animal harvest.

The net rate that plants build up carbon from the atmosphere by photosynthesis is known as 'net primary productivity' and is most important carbon flow.

Landscape budget assessment

Two models were developed for determining landscape balances of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and estimate of change in net primary productivity:

• an evolving or time-dependent model (BiosEvolve); and
• an equilibrium or statistically steady state model (BiosEquil).

Predictions of these models are designed to determine large-scale patterns rather than the behaviour of individual farms or paddocks, and should never be interpreted at single-cell (5 km) scale. Uncertainties even at a large region scale (100 km by 100 km or greater) for the models are:

• Net primary productivity: 30%
• Organic stores of C, N and P: 50%
• Mineral stores of C, N and P 100%
• Current/pre-agricultural ratios: 50%
• Leaching and drainage fluxes: large uncertainty

Landscape budgets in New South Wales

River basin name	Net Primary Productivity (t Carbon/ha/y)	Total Carbon(plant+ soil+ litter ) tC/ha)	Total Phosphorus(kg P/ha)	Total Nitrogen (kg N/ha)
Bega River	7	571	3,197	25,280
Bellinger River	9	420	2,464	16,450
Benanee	1	94	619	5,103
Border Rivers	4	186	1,183	8,503
Brunswick River	8	343	2,362	16,000
Bulloo River	1	27	245	1,418
Castlereagh River	3	169	1,170	8,482
Clarence River	7	422	2,709	17,660
Clyde River - Jervis Bay	8	496	2,867	20,150
Condamine-Culgoa Rivers	2	92	657	4,486
Coopers Creek	1	25	217	1,388
Darling River	1	60	430	3,118
East Gippsland	8	646	3,912	27,500
Gwydir River	3	198	1,257	9,179
Hastings River	8	487	3,026	21,120
Hawkesbury River	6	414	2,400	15,930
Hunter River	5	321	1,964	13,740
Karuah River	7	331	2,104	13,570
Lachlan River	3	178	1,144	8,243
Lake Bancannia	0	19	191	1,101
Lake Frome	0	12	106	665
Lake George	3	321	1,594	13,160
Lower Murray River	1	84	542	4,243
Macleay River	7	490	2,667	19,780
Macquarie - Tuggerah Lakes	7	315	1,974	11,970
Macquarie-Bogan Rivers	3	186	1,190	8,644
Manning River	8	567	3,592	24,460
Moonie River	3	98	714	4,778
Moruya River	7	564	3,139	24,560
Murray-Riverina	3	206	1,347	10,410
Murrumbidgee River	3	291	1,719	13,020
Namoi River	4	215	1,337	9,899
Paroo River	1	39	335	2,026
Richmond River	7	300	1,948	13,610
Shoalhaven River	6	504	2,810	19,890
Snowy River	6	716	3,833	31,380
Sydney Coast - Georges River	4	189	1,228	7,189
Towamba River	7	567	3,096	24,030
Tuross River	7	606	3,352	26,580
Tweed River	9	449	2,855	20,900
Upper Murray River	6	749	3,975	31,000
Warrego River	2	69	499	3,377
Wollongong Coast	6	380	2,484	16,630

Click on the river basin name or map below to view a report on the nutrient - sediment - landscape budget terms.

Further information

View the Australian Agriculture Assessment 2001 report.

View the Landscape balances chapter of the Australian Agriculture Assessment 2001 (theme) report.

View the project report prepared by CSIRO Land and Water in the development of this work on the coupled balances of water, nutrients and carbon in Australian landscapes. (3.5mb.pdf)

View the technical report prepared by CSIRO Land and Water in the development of this work on the coupled balances of water, nutrients and carbon in Australian landscapes. (1.3mb.pdf)

Link to the Map Maker to make a map using this information.

Link to the Australian Natural Resources Data Library

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