MIKE SHE Public Data Catalog¶

Australia¶

Version: 0.1 test template
Purpose: Country-specific public dataset catalog for building simple to advanced MIKE SHE models
Region: Australia (mainland and Tasmania)

Quick Start¶

Minimum Public Datasets for Recharge Modelling with MIKE SHE (Australia)¶

If your objective is to calculate distributed groundwater recharge (without simulating groundwater flow or rivers), only five dataset categories are required.

The datasets below are freely available, cover the whole of Australia, and provide an excellent starting point for building a physically based recharge model.

MIKE SHE Input	Dataset Type	Recommended Dataset	Spatial Availability	Why recommended
Topography (DEM)	Gridded	Geoscience Australia DEM-H (1 second SRTM, hydrologically enforced)	Australia	National ~30 m DEM that is already hydrologically conditioned, which makes it well suited for defining slopes, drainage pathways and overland-flow gradients.
Land Cover	Gridded	DEA Land Cover (Digital Earth Australia)	Australia	Annual 25 m Landsat-based land-cover maps from 1988 onward, useful for assigning vegetation types, impervious areas and overland-flow parameters for any simulation period.
Soil Hydraulic Properties	Gridded	Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia (SLGA)	Australia	National ~90 m soil property grids (texture, bulk density, available water capacity, depth) at standard depth intervals. Van Genuchten parameters must be derived with pedotransfer functions.
Precipitation	Gridded	SILO gridded data for daily, long-term modelling BARRA2 reanalysis or ERA5-Land for hourly modelling	Australia	SILO provides consistent daily rainfall from 1889 onward on a ~5 km grid and is the standard choice for long-term water-balance and recharge simulations. No free nationwide sub-daily radar product exists, so hourly reanalysis is the practical option for event-scale work.
	Time Series	BoM Climate Data Online SILO Patched Point Data	Nationwide (station-dependent)	Recommended whenever reliable local rain-gauge observations are available. SILO Patched Point Data are gap-filled BoM station records and can be used directly or for checking and bias-correcting gridded precipitation.
Meteorological Forcing / Potential ET	Gridded	SILO gridded data	Australia	Provides daily FAO-56 reference evapotranspiration together with temperature, vapour pressure and solar radiation in one spatially consistent product, making it Australia's equivalent to gridMET.
	Time Series	SILO Patched Point Data BoM Climate Data Online (automatic weather stations)	Nationwide (station-dependent)	Appropriate when complete local meteorological observations or calculated reference ET time series are available. These data can be assigned directly to climate zones or used to calculate potential evapotranspiration within MIKE SHE.

Optional Improvements¶

Dataset	Purpose
ELVIS – Elevation and Depth Foundation Spatial Data	High-resolution LiDAR DEMs (1–5 m) where available
ASRIS and state soil mapping	More detailed local soil information
MODIS MCD15A3H	Dynamic Leaf Area Index (LAI)
Digital Earth Australia Sentinel-2	Verification and updating of land-cover maps
CMRSET actual ET (TERN)	Validation of simulated actual evapotranspiration
AWRA-L / Australian Water Outlook	Plausibility check of simulated recharge (deep drainage), soil moisture and actual ET
SMAP	Regional soil-moisture validation

Recommended Workflow¶

Download the Geoscience Australia DEM-H.
Delineate the model domain and prepare the terrain model.
Download DEA Land Cover for the simulation period and assign MIKE SHE vegetation classes.
Download SLGA soil grids and derive van Genuchten parameters using pedotransfer functions.
Choose your meteorological forcing:
Option A (recommended): Use SILO gridded data for a fully gridded daily model setup, supplemented by BARRA2 or ERA5-Land where hourly forcing is needed.
Option B: Import precipitation and meteorological observations from SILO Patched Point Data or BoM Climate Data Online directly into MIKE SHE.
Let MIKE SHE calculate evapotranspiration internally using the selected vegetation and soil parameters.
Check simulated recharge and actual ET against AWRA-L and CMRSET.
Export the distributed groundwater recharge for use in MODFLOW, FEFLOW, or other groundwater models.

1. Introduction for advanced data sources¶

1.1 Purpose¶

This document summarizes public datasets that can be used to construct a physically based MIKE SHE model for Australia.

The catalog is organized according to the typical MIKE SHE model-building workflow rather than only by dataset type. It covers datasets for:

terrain and overland flow
land cover and vegetation
meteorological forcing
potential and actual evapotranspiration
rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands
soil and unsaturated-zone parameterization
groundwater and hydrogeology
pumping, irrigation, and water management
calibration and validation

1.2 Intended Use¶

This catalog is intended for:

rapid screening models
regional water-balance models
groundwater recharge studies
surface-water / groundwater interaction studies
groundwater-dependent ecosystem (GDE) assessments
irrigation and water-use assessments
mining and coal seam gas impact assessments
applied MIKE SHE model setup

1.3 General Notes for Australia¶

Most Australian federal and state datasets are released under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0). Always check the individual license before redistribution.
The national datum is GDA2020. Projected models typically use the relevant MGA2020 zone (zones 49–56). Older datasets may still be in GDA94 and need a datum transformation (~1.8 m shift).
Many national datasets are hosted by Geoscience Australia (GA), the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), TERN, CSIRO, and Digital Earth Australia (DEA). State agencies hold the most detailed groundwater, licensing, and monitoring data.

2. Hydrological Characteristics of Australia¶

2.1 Climate¶

Australia covers several strong climatic gradients:

tropical monsoonal climate in the north with a pronounced summer wet season
arid and semi-arid climate across most of the interior (around 70% of the continent)
temperate climate in the south-east with year-round or winter-dominant rainfall
Mediterranean climate in south-western Western Australia and parts of South Australia
alpine climate with seasonal snow in the Australian Alps and Tasmanian highlands
strong inter-annual variability driven by ENSO and the Indian Ocean Dipole
prolonged multi-year droughts (e.g. the Millennium Drought, 2001–2009)
tropical cyclone influence along northern and north-eastern coasts
east-coast lows and major flood events in eastern Australia

2.2 Topography¶

Major topographic settings include:

Great Dividing Range and eastern highlands
narrow eastern coastal plains
Murray-Darling Basin lowlands and riverine plains
Central Lowlands and Great Artesian Basin
Western Plateau and arid shield regions
Nullarbor Plain (extensive karst)
Channel Country with anabranching, low-gradient floodplains
Tasmanian highlands
coastal sand plains (e.g. Swan Coastal Plain)

2.3 Major Hydrological Challenges¶

Important Australian modelling challenges include:

very low and highly episodic recharge in semi-arid and arid regions
dryland and irrigation salinity driven by rising saline water tables
groundwater and surface-water over-allocation, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin
ephemeral and intermittent rivers with large transmission losses
episodic floods on very flat floodplains
groundwater-dependent ecosystems and environmental water requirements
deep-rooted native vegetation (e.g. eucalypts) accessing groundwater
land-cover change following bushfires and land clearing
mining dewatering and coal seam gas impacts on aquifers
seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers
regulated rivers, water markets, and sustainable diversion limits

2.4 Major Aquifer Systems¶

Important aquifers and groundwater systems include:

Great Artesian Basin
Murray Basin (e.g. Murray Group limestone, Renmark Group)
Perth Basin (Superficial, Leederville, and Yarragadee aquifers, Gnangara Mound)
Otway Basin
Canning Basin
Daly Basin (Tindall Limestone)
Namoi, Condamine, Lachlan, and Murrumbidgee alluvial aquifers
Burdekin Delta aquifers
Gippsland Basin
fractured-rock aquifers of the eastern highlands

3. Recommended Dataset Stack¶

Component	Recommended Dataset	Alternative Dataset	Importance
DEM	GA DEM-H	ELVIS LiDAR, Copernicus GLO-30	★★★★★
Land cover	DEA Land Cover	ESA WorldCover, ABARES Land Use (CLUM)	★★★★★
Native vegetation	NVIS	DEA Fractional Cover	★★★★☆
LAI	MODIS MCD15A3H	Sentinel-2 derived LAI via DEA	★★★★☆
Precipitation	SILO	AGCD (BoM), BARRA2, ERA5-Land	★★★★★
Climate forcing	SILO	BARRA2, ERA5-Land	★★★★★
Potential ET	SILO (FAO-56)	AWRA-L / Australian Water Outlook	★★★★★
Rivers	BoM Geofabric	GA Surface Hydrology, HydroRIVERS	★★★★★
Lakes / reservoirs	GA Surface Hydrology	BoM Water Storage	★★★★☆
Inundation / wetlands	DEA Water Observations	GDE Atlas	★★★★☆
Soil	SLGA	ASRIS	★★★★★
Hydrogeology	BoM NGIS	Australian Groundwater Insight, state geological surveys	★★★★★
Groundwater heads	BoM Groundwater Explorer	State groundwater portals	★★★★★
Pumping	State water licensing registers	BoM National Water Account	★★★★☆
Streamflow calibration	BoM Water Data Online	Hydrologic Reference Stations, state portals	★★★★★
Actual ET validation	CMRSET (TERN)	OzFlux, AWRA-L, MODIS MOD16	★★★★★
Soil moisture validation	SMAP	AWRA-L, OzNet	★★★★☆
Recharge plausibility	AWRA-L deep drainage	Published chloride mass balance studies	★★★★☆

4. Terrain Model¶

4.1 Purpose in MIKE SHE¶

Terrain data are required for:

model surface elevation
overland-flow gradients
surface-storage controls
catchment delineation
river network verification
floodplain and wetland connectivity

4.2 Dataset Comparison¶

Dataset	Coverage	Resolution	Format	MIKE SHE Suitability	Advantages	Limitations	Recommendation
GA DEM-H	Australia	~30 m (1 arc-second)	GeoTIFF / web services	Primary regional DEM	Hydrologically enforced, vegetation offsets partly removed, national coverage	Based on SRTM (2000); limited accuracy on very flat floodplains	★★★★★
GA DEM-S	Australia	~30 m	GeoTIFF	Terrain derivatives	Smoothed, suited to slope and terrain analysis	Not drainage-enforced	★★★★☆
ELVIS LiDAR DEMs	Populated areas, Murray-Darling Basin, coasts	1 m to 5 m	GeoTIFF	Local and floodplain models	Highest accuracy; essential on flat terrain	Patchy coverage; large data volumes	★★★★★ (where available)
Copernicus GLO-30	Global	30 m	GeoTIFF	Backup DEM	More recent than SRTM	Surface model; not drainage-enforced	★★★☆☆
FABDEM	Global	30 m	GeoTIFF	Forested / urban support	Buildings and forests removed	Coarser than LiDAR	★★★☆☆

4.3 Typical Preprocessing¶

reproject to GDA2020 / MGA zone
clip to model domain plus buffer
use DEM-H where possible to avoid additional sink filling
merge LiDAR tiles for floodplains and channels where available
resample to model grid
compare drainage paths with Geofabric streams
smooth only where needed for numerical stability

4.4 Quality Checks¶

confirm river channels follow topographic lows
check flat plains (Murray-Darling lowlands, Channel Country) for artificial flow directions
check levees, irrigation channels, and on-farm storages that SRTM does not resolve
verify coastal elevations in estuarine and coastal-aquifer models
compare derived catchments with Geofabric contracted catchments

5. Surface Water¶

5.1 Rivers¶

Dataset	Coverage	Format	MIKE SHE / MIKE 1D Use	Advantages	Limitations	Recommendation
BoM Geofabric	Australia	Vector GIS (streams, catchments, topology)	River network, catchments, topology	National hydrological backbone with connectivity	Requires simplification for hydraulic routing	★★★★★
GA Surface Hydrology	Australia	Vector GIS	Rivers, lakes, water bodies	Authoritative national mapping	Less topology than Geofabric	★★★★☆
HydroRIVERS	Global	Vector GIS	Fallback river network	Global consistency	Less detailed than national products	★★☆☆☆

5.2 Lakes and Reservoirs¶

Dataset	Use	Recommendation
GA Surface Hydrology	Lake and reservoir polygons	★★★★☆
BoM Water Storage	Storage levels and volumes for major reservoirs	★★★★☆
DEA Water Observations	Observed water extent and inundation frequency since 1987	★★★★★

5.3 Wetlands and Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems¶

Potential sources:

Wetland and GDE data are useful for overland-flow validation, environmental-flow and GDE studies, and surface storage parameterization.

5.4 Typical Preprocessing¶

simplify river network
remove minor branches not relevant at model scale
identify ephemeral and intermittent reaches
align river network with DEM
define cross-sections or approximate channel geometry
define river-bed conductance and consider transmission losses
include weirs, regulators, and irrigation offtakes on regulated rivers
assign river boundary conditions
check connection to reservoirs, lakes, and anabranches

6. Land Cover and Vegetation¶

6.1 Purpose in MIKE SHE¶

Land cover and vegetation define:

interception
evapotranspiration parameters
root depth
crop coefficients
Manning roughness
irrigation zones
impervious areas
surface detention/storage behavior

6.2 Dataset Comparison¶

Dataset	Coverage	Resolution	Format	MIKE SHE Use	Advantages	Limitations	Recommendation
DEA Land Cover	Australia	25 m, annual since 1988	Raster	Primary land-cover zones	Consistent national time series; supports land-cover change	FAO LCCS legend needs hydrological reclassification	★★★★★
ABARES Catchment Scale Land Use (CLUM)	Australia	50 m	Raster	Land use, irrigated vs dryland agriculture	Distinguishes irrigated land uses	Compiled from sources of varying dates	★★★★★
NVIS	Australia	~100 m	Raster / vector	Native vegetation groups	Distinguishes eucalypt forests, woodlands, shrublands, grasslands	Pre-clearing and present extents must be distinguished	★★★★☆
ESA WorldCover	Global	10 m	Raster	Alternative land-cover map	High spatial resolution	Only 2020 and 2021	★★★★☆
Dynamic World	Global	10 m	Cloud / Earth Engine	Recent land-cover dynamics	Near-real-time change detection	Requires postprocessing	★★★☆☆

6.3 Vegetation Datasets¶

Parameter	Dataset	Use	Recommendation
LAI	MODIS MCD15A3H	Seasonal LAI time series	★★★★☆
Fractional cover	DEA Fractional Cover	Green / non-green / bare ground dynamics, post-fire recovery	★★★★☆
NDVI	MODIS / DEA Sentinel-2	Vegetation activity and crop seasonality	★★★★☆
Root depth	NVIS + literature	Root-depth assignment by vegetation group	★★★★☆
Crop coefficient	FAO-56	Agricultural ET parameterization	★★★★☆

6.4 Typical Preprocessing¶

reclassify DEA Land Cover classes into MIKE SHE vegetation zones
overlay CLUM to separate irrigated and dryland agriculture
use NVIS to separate eucalypt forest, woodland, shrubland, and grassland
assign deep rooting depths to native woody vegetation where groundwater uptake is plausible
assign LAI curves or seasonal LAI maps
consider land-cover change after bushfires or clearing for long simulations
assign roughness values for overland flow

7. Meteorological Forcing¶

7.1 Precipitation¶

Dataset	Coverage	Resolution	Temporal Resolution	MIKE SHE Use	Advantages	Limitations	Recommendation
SILO	Australia	~5 km (0.05°)	Daily, since 1889	Primary rainfall forcing	Long, complete, interpolated from BoM stations	Daily only; smoothing in data-sparse interior	★★★★★
AGCD (BoM)	Australia	~5 km	Daily / monthly	Alternative rainfall forcing	Official BoM gridded analysis	Daily only	★★★★☆
BARRA2	Australia	4.4 km to 12 km	Hourly	Sub-daily and event forcing	Regional reanalysis, physically consistent	Model-based; bias correction recommended	★★★★☆
ERA5-Land	Global	~9 km	Hourly	Backup sub-daily forcing	Easy access, consistent	Coarser; convective rainfall poorly represented	★★★☆☆

7.2 Climate Variables¶

Variable	Recommended Dataset	Alternatives	MIKE SHE Use
Air temperature	SILO	BARRA2, ERA5-Land	ET, snow/rain distinction
Wind speed	BARRA2	ERA5-Land, BoM AWS	Penman-Monteith / Shuttleworth-Wallace
Vapour pressure / humidity	SILO	BARRA2, BoM AWS	Vapour-pressure deficit
Solar radiation	SILO	BARRA2, NASA POWER	ET energy term
Reference ET	SILO (FAO-56 short crop)	AWRA-L	PET / ETo forcing or validation

Note: SILO does not provide gridded wind speed. If MIKE SHE should calculate ET internally from full meteorology, combine SILO with BARRA2 or ERA5-Land wind, or use SILO reference ET directly.

7.3 Potential ET¶

Dataset	Coverage	Resolution	Temporal Resolution	Use	Recommendation
SILO	Australia	~5 km	Daily	Distributed FAO-56 reference ET (also ASCE tall crop and Morton estimates)	★★★★★
SILO Patched Point Data	Station locations	Point	Daily	Local ETo time series	★★★★☆
AWRA-L	Australia	~5 km	Daily	Potential ET comparison	★★★☆☆

7.4 Snow¶

Snow is secondary for most Australian models but relevant in the Australian Alps (Snowy Mountains, Victorian Alps) and the Tasmanian highlands.

Dataset	Use	Recommendation
MODIS Snow Cover	Snow extent validation	★★★☆☆
ERA5-Land	Snow water equivalent screening	★★☆☆☆

8. Soil Data¶

8.1 Purpose in MIKE SHE¶

Soil data control:

infiltration
water retention
evapotranspiration limitation
recharge generation
capillary rise
soil-water storage
runoff generation

8.2 Dataset Comparison¶

Dataset	Coverage	Resolution	Parameters	MIKE SHE Use	Advantages	Limitations	Recommendation
SLGA	Australia	~90 m	Clay, silt, sand, bulk density, AWC, soil depth, depth of regolith	Primary distributed UZ parameterization	National, six standard depth intervals to 2 m, uncertainty bounds	Van Genuchten parameters require pedotransfer functions	★★★★★
ASRIS	Australia	Mapped units	Soil properties and profiles	Detailed local model	Links to measured soil profiles	Variable detail between regions	★★★★☆
State soil mapping	State-specific	Detailed map units	Soil landscapes and profiles	Local models	Highest local detail	Different formats per state	★★★★☆
SoilGrids	Global	250 m	Global soil properties	Backup	Easy global access	Less accurate than SLGA for Australia	★★☆☆☆

8.3 Required Soil Parameters¶

Typical MIKE SHE soil parameters include:

saturated hydraulic conductivity
residual water content
saturated water content
van Genuchten alpha
van Genuchten n
field capacity
wilting point
bulk density
soil layering and soil depth

8.4 Typical Preprocessing¶

select relevant SLGA depth intervals
derive van Genuchten parameters and Ks with suitable pedotransfer functions
harmonize soil layers with MIKE SHE unsaturated-zone layers
use depth of regolith to inform unsaturated-zone thickness
resample to model grid
aggregate detailed soil classes
check for texture-contrast (duplex) soils, which are common in Australia
check unrealistic Ks values
calibrate sensitive parameters against runoff, groundwater heads, ET, and soil moisture

9. Hydrogeology¶

9.1 Purpose¶

Hydrogeologic data are required for:

defining aquifer boundaries
defining model layers
hydraulic conductivity zones
storage zones
specific yield
groundwater boundary conditions
conceptual groundwater model development

9.2 Dataset Comparison¶

Dataset	Coverage	Use	Advantages	Limitations	Recommendation
BoM National Groundwater Information System (NGIS)	Australia	Bores, lithology, hydrostratigraphy, 3D aquifer surfaces	Best national groundwater database	Parameter values require interpretation	★★★★★
Australian Groundwater Insight	Australia	Aquifer context, levels, salinity, trends	Easy national overview	Summary level	★★★★☆
State geological surveys and groundwater reports	State-specific	Local aquifer geometry and properties	Most detailed information	Format and quality vary	★★★★★
GA Geological Maps	Australia	Geological framework	National consistency	Requires hydrogeological translation	★★★★☆
GLHYMPS	Global	Permeability screening	Useful fallback	Too generalized for local models	★★☆☆☆

9.3 Conceptual Model Recommendations¶

For Australia, special attention should be paid to:

confined artesian systems of the Great Artesian Basin
thick regolith and deep unsaturated zones in semi-arid regions
karst systems (Nullarbor, Murray Group limestone, Tindall Limestone)
saline groundwater and dryland salinity processes
coastal sand aquifers and seawater intrusion (e.g. Swan Coastal Plain)
fractured-rock aquifers in the eastern highlands
alluvial aquifers with irrigation return flow
focused recharge through ephemeral streams and floodouts versus diffuse recharge

10. Groundwater Data¶

10.1 Initial Heads and Monitoring Wells¶

Dataset	Coverage	Use	Advantages	Limitations	Recommendation
BoM Groundwater Explorer	Australia	Groundwater levels and bore data	National compilation from NGIS	Monitoring density varies	★★★★★
WaterNSW	New South Wales	Groundwater levels	Detailed state monitoring	State-specific	★★★★☆
Victorian Water Measurement Information System	Victoria	Groundwater levels	Detailed state monitoring	State-specific	★★★★☆
Queensland Water Monitoring Information Portal	Queensland	Groundwater levels	Detailed state monitoring	State-specific	★★★★☆
WaterConnect	South Australia	Groundwater levels and salinity	Detailed state monitoring	State-specific	★★★★☆
Water Information Reporting	Western Australia	Groundwater levels	Detailed state monitoring	State-specific	★★★★☆

10.2 Pumping Wells and Water Use¶

Dataset	Coverage	Use	Advantages	Limitations	Recommendation
State water licensing registers	State-specific	Licensed entitlements and metered use	Most detailed source	Metering incomplete; licensed ≠ actual use	★★★★☆
BoM National Water Account	Selected regions	Regional water use and abstraction	Consistent accounting	Aggregated	★★★☆☆
ABS Water Account	Australia	Sector-level water use	National statistics	Highly aggregated	★★☆☆☆

10.3 Boundary Conditions¶

Potential boundary-condition sources:

Boundary Type	Source	Comment
Coastal boundary	Shoreline and sea-level assumptions	Relevant for coastal aquifers and seawater intrusion
River boundary	BoM Geofabric, BoM Water Data Online	River stages may require hydraulic modelling
No-flow boundary	Groundwater divides, geologic boundaries	Must be justified conceptually
Pumping wells	State licensing registers	Major uncertainty in many models
Regional flux	NGIS, existing regional models	Relevant for Great Artesian Basin and large sedimentary basins

11. Water Management¶

11.1 Relevant Processes¶

Water management is often central in Australian models:

irrigation
groundwater pumping
surface-water diversions and regulated rivers
reservoirs and on-farm storages
irrigation channels and drainage schemes
municipal, industrial, and mining water use
managed aquifer recharge
environmental water delivery
water entitlements, trading, and sustainable diversion limits

11.2 Dataset Sources¶

Topic	Dataset / Agency	Use
Groundwater pumping	State water licensing registers	Pumping estimates and entitlements
Basin water management	Murray-Darling Basin Authority	Sustainable diversion limits, basin plans, environmental water
Water accounting	BoM National Water Account	Regional water balance and use
Reservoirs	BoM Water Storage	Reservoir storage and water supply context
Irrigated areas	ABARES CLUM	Irrigation zone definition
Irrigation ET	CMRSET (TERN)	Field-scale ET and irrigation water-use validation

12. Remote Sensing Products¶

Dataset	Coverage	Resolution	Use	Recommendation
CMRSET (TERN)	Australia	30 m (Landsat)	Actual ET validation and irrigation water use	★★★★★
DEA Water Observations	Australia	25–30 m	Flood extent, inundation frequency, wetland dynamics	★★★★★
DEA Fractional Cover	Australia	30 m	Vegetation and bare-ground dynamics	★★★★☆
MODIS MOD16	Global	500 m	Regional actual ET validation	★★★☆☆
SMAP	Global	Coarse	Soil moisture validation	★★★★☆
GRACE / GRACE-FO	Global	Very coarse (~300 km)	Basin-scale total water storage change	★★★☆☆
Sentinel-1 SAR	Global	10 m	Flood extent and wetness mapping	★★★★☆
Sentinel-2 (DEA)	Australia	10 m	Land cover and vegetation dynamics	★★★★☆
Landsat (DEA)	Australia	30 m	Long-term vegetation, land cover, ET support	★★★★☆
ECOSTRESS	Selected coverage	~70 m	Surface temperature and plant water stress	★★★☆☆

13. Calibration Datasets¶

13.1 Recommended Calibration Targets¶

Target	Dataset	Use	Recommendation
River discharge	BoM Water Data Online	Streamflow calibration	★★★★★
Unregulated reference catchments	Hydrologic Reference Stations	High-quality streamflow in minimally disturbed catchments	★★★★★
Groundwater heads	BoM Groundwater Explorer / state portals	Saturated-zone calibration	★★★★★
Actual ET (distributed)	CMRSET (TERN)	ET validation	★★★★★
Actual ET (point)	OzFlux	Eddy-covariance flux towers	★★★★☆
Soil moisture	SMAP / OzNet	Regional and in-situ UZ validation	★★★★☆
Recharge	AWRA-L / published chloride mass balance studies	Recharge plausibility	★★★★☆
Reservoir storage	BoM Water Storage	Reservoir/system validation	★★★★☆
Inundation extent	DEA Water Observations	Overland-flow and floodplain validation	★★★★☆

13.2 Recommended Calibration Strategy¶

A robust Australian MIKE SHE model should avoid calibration against only discharge. Recommended targets are:

river discharge at BoM or state gauges, preferably including Hydrologic Reference Stations
groundwater heads in representative bores
seasonal and annual actual ET patterns (CMRSET, OzFlux)
inundation extent on floodplains and wetlands (DEA Water Observations)
water-balance and recharge plausibility by catchment (AWRA-L, published recharge estimates)
irrigation or pumping estimates where relevant

Because rainfall variability is extreme, calibration and validation periods should include both dry and wet phases (e.g. drought years and major flood years).

14. Typical MIKE SHE Workflow¶

Define modelling objective and domain.
Download and preprocess GA DEM-H, adding ELVIS LiDAR where available.
Delineate catchments and surface drainage.
Build river network from BoM Geofabric.
Prepare land cover from DEA Land Cover and ABARES CLUM.
Assign vegetation parameters from MODIS MCD15A3H, NVIS, and literature.
Prepare precipitation from SILO or BARRA2.
Prepare climate forcing and reference ET from SILO.
Prepare soil properties from SLGA using pedotransfer functions.
Build hydrogeological layers from NGIS and state reports.
Import initial groundwater heads from BoM Groundwater Explorer and state portals.
Add pumping, irrigation, and water-use data where relevant.
Couple rivers and groundwater.
Calibrate discharge and groundwater heads.
Validate actual ET against CMRSET and recharge against AWRA-L.
Document assumptions and uncertainties.

15. Minimum Dataset Package¶

For a simple screening model:

Model Element	Dataset
DEM	GA DEM-H
Land cover	DEA Land Cover
Precipitation	SILO
Climate forcing	SILO
Reference ET	SILO
Rivers	BoM Geofabric
Soils	SLGA
Aquifers	BoM NGIS
Streamflow	BoM Water Data Online
Groundwater heads	BoM Groundwater Explorer

16. Recommended Dataset Package¶

For a professional regional MIKE SHE model:

Model Element	Dataset
DEM	GA DEM-H + ELVIS LiDAR on floodplains
Sub-daily precipitation	BARRA2, bias-corrected against SILO
Climate forcing	SILO
Local climate validation	SILO Patched Point Data / BoM Climate Data Online
Land cover	DEA Land Cover + ABARES CLUM
Vegetation	MODIS MCD15A3H + NVIS
Soils	SLGA + ASRIS / state soil mapping
Hydrogeology	BoM NGIS + state geological reports
Groundwater heads	BoM Groundwater Explorer + state portals
Pumping	State licensing registers + BoM National Water Account
Actual ET	CMRSET + OzFlux
Inundation	DEA Water Observations
Soil moisture	SMAP

17. Premium Dataset Package¶

For high-quality consulting, regulatory, or research models, add:

Dataset Type	Possible Source	Purpose
Local LiDAR and bathymetry	State / council datasets, ELVIS	High-resolution floodplain and channel geometry
Local rain gauges	Water authorities / councils / BoM sub-daily data	Precipitation bias correction and event forcing
Metered pumping records	State water agencies	Pumping stress refinement
Local geological models	State geological surveys / consultants	Aquifer layering and hydraulic properties
Pumping tests	Reports / bore completion records	Hydraulic conductivity and storage calibration
River and storage operations	River operators / water authorities / MDBA	Managed river systems
Field soil data	Local surveys / soil profile databases	Unsaturated-zone parameter validation
Irrigation and crop records	Irrigation districts / remote sensing	Irrigation demand and water use
Groundwater chemistry and isotopes	State databases / research studies	Recharge mechanisms and groundwater age

18. Dataset Comparison Table Template¶

Use this table for adding new datasets.

Dataset	Coverage	Spatial Resolution	Temporal Resolution	Time Period	Format	API / Access	License	MIKE SHE Use	Advantages	Limitations	Recommendation
											★☆☆☆☆

19. Data Preparation Checklist¶

Terrain¶

[ ] DEM downloaded
[ ] DEM projected to GDA2020 / MGA zone
[ ] DEM clipped
[ ] LiDAR merged where available
[ ] drainage paths checked

Surface Water¶

[ ] river network downloaded
[ ] river network simplified
[ ] ephemeral reaches identified
[ ] river elevations checked
[ ] reservoirs, weirs, and offtakes identified
[ ] boundary conditions assigned

Land Cover and Vegetation¶

[ ] land-cover map downloaded for simulation period
[ ] classes reclassified
[ ] irrigated areas defined from CLUM
[ ] native vegetation zones defined
[ ] LAI assigned
[ ] rooting depths assigned

Weather¶

[ ] precipitation downloaded
[ ] climate variables downloaded
[ ] PET / ETo checked
[ ] wind speed source defined if ET is calculated internally
[ ] time series gap-checked
[ ] units converted
[ ] model forcing files prepared

Soil¶

[ ] soil data downloaded
[ ] pedotransfer functions applied
[ ] soil layers harmonized
[ ] parameter zones created
[ ] unrealistic values checked

Groundwater¶

[ ] aquifer boundaries downloaded
[ ] hydrogeologic layers defined
[ ] initial heads interpolated
[ ] pumping data added
[ ] boundary conditions defined

Calibration and Validation¶

[ ] discharge gauges selected
[ ] groundwater bores selected
[ ] CMRSET / OzFlux data prepared
[ ] AWRA-L recharge prepared for comparison
[ ] soil moisture data prepared if needed
[ ] calibration periods defined (dry and wet phases)
[ ] validation periods defined

20. References and Official Data Portals¶

21. Notes on Uncertainty¶

Important uncertainties for Australian MIKE SHE models include:

rainfall interpolation in data-sparse inland regions
convective and cyclonic rainfall intensity at sub-daily scale
very low recharge rates that are sensitive to small errors in ET and soil parameters
episodic, event-driven recharge that depends on rare wet years
soil hydraulic parameters derived via pedotransfer functions
rooting depth and groundwater uptake of native vegetation
groundwater pumping and irrigation volumes (licensed vs actual use)
transmission losses in ephemeral rivers
river-bed conductance uncertainty
regulated river and reservoir operations
coastal boundary assumptions and seawater intrusion
mismatch between satellite ET and modelled ET
land-cover change due to bushfires, clearing, and drought
aggregation from fine datasets to model-grid resolution

A defensible model should document dataset choices, preprocessing assumptions, calibration strategy, validation results, and known limitations.

22. State, Territory and Basin Supplements¶

State-specific and basin-specific data sources are documented in separate supplements:

Supplement	File
New South Wales and ACT	DataSources_AUS_NSW_ACT.md
Victoria	DataSources_AUS_VIC.md
Queensland	DataSources_AUS_QLD.md
South Australia	DataSources_AUS_SA.md
Western Australia	DataSources_AUS_WA.md
Tasmania	DataSources_AUS_TAS.md
Northern Territory	DataSources_AUS_NT.md
Murray-Darling Basin	DataSources_AUS_Murray_Darling_Basin.md
Great Artesian Basin	DataSources_AUS_Great_Artesian_Basin.md