This dataset contains temperature, salinity, nutrient, trace metal and organic matter data for the Derwent Estuary (Tasmania), including Ralphs Bay and the mouths of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel and Storm Bay. The data were collected on various transects over 2 day periods at 3-monthly intervals, between March 1992 and July 1994. The sites sampled were a reduced subset of those used for the Derwent Estuary Physical Survey. Stations were chosen so that surface salinities ranged from 0 to 35 at intervals of about 5. Seven stations were sampled at fixed locations on each survey: at surface salinities of 0 and 35, two stations immediately downstream of major industries, and a transect of three stations across the river. The remaining stations (usually five) were selected to include all salinities that were not sampled at the fixed stations. Sampling was carried out at the surface (all stations), bottom (most stations), and intermediate depths at the seaward entrance to the estuary and midway down the estuary. The data form the chemical component of the Derwent Estuary study, carried out as part of the CSIRO Coastal Zone Program.

This dataset contains temperature and salinity data for the Derwent Estuary (Tasmania), including Ralphs Bay and the mouths of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel and Storm Bay. The data were collected on various transects over 2 day periods at 3-monthly intervals, between March 1992 and July 1994. Salinity and temperature were measured as a function of depth using a CTD, at 60 stations representing transects both along and across the estuary, ranging from New Norfolk to the river mouth. Contour plots derived from the data are given in the cited report (see references). The data form the physical component of the Derwent Estuary study, carried out as part of the CSIRO Coastal Zone Program.

Terrestrial landscapes and coastal marine environments are linked by the rivers that flow between them. This is particularly true in the Kimberley, where each year large amounts of freshwater enter coastal waters. This project aimed to understand how dissolved and particulate material from freshwater systems in the Kimberley are transported by the tides and currents into the coastal marine environment and whether these exports from land play a role in coastal productivity. The project linked closely with WAMSI 2 KMRP projects 2.2.1 and 2.2.2 to better understand how freshwater discharge influences marine food web structure and sustains the productivity of Kimberley inshore ecosystems. Oceanographic and biogeochemical data was collected over two field campaigns (October/November 2013 and April/May 2014) from the Walcott Inlet, Collier Bay area (16° 22.624’S 124° 26.235’E to 16° 24.487’S 124° 54.035’E) and models integrated with those for Collier Bay (KMRP Project 2.2.2). The hydrology component focussed on catchments flowing into Walcott Inlet and Collier Bay, but climate projections and stream flow data analysed for whole of Kimberley. Chemical data to apportion sources of organic matter was also collected. This data was used to support development of the biogeochemical model. No primary data was collected in the hydrology component, but major data sets were collated, including data from 88 streamflow gauging stations managed by the Department of Water. A coupled physical-biogeochemical model and a catchment carbon export model was developed to understand the link between exported material and coastal productivity and has been an important component of the research project as it has allowed estimates of freshwater flow under current and future climate scenarios and an estimate of export of nutrients (carbon and nitrogen) and the forms in which they exist. Historical data used from 1961 to 2012 was used for calibration of the model, and future simulations were run for the period 2013 – 2064. This metadata record only relates to data either collected or generated by CSIRO. For data held by other project partners, please refer to the ‘supplementary information’ section.