Status and trends of soil salinity at different scales: the case for the irrigated cotton growing region of eastern Australia

This paper reports on how prior information was used as a source of data for sampling schemes as well as a foundation for further salinity studies at different scales. The results at each of the scale levels are useful to the degree of sampling intensity at which the information was obtained. While the regional study revealed the salinity pattern is closely associated with climatic trend, the pattern of salinity at the county scale is less well-defined. The salinity information at the field scale revealed high saline areas coinciding with an abandoned creek channel. The salinisation process at this scale is probably due to deposition of soluble salts that have been flushed from the upper reaches of an abandoned creek. There is preponderance of saline subsoil layers in and around Mungindi which needs further investigation. Visualisation of information transfer through the scale continuum, as demonstrated by this study, is presented and discussed.