MIKE SHE Public Data Catalog – State Supplement
Tasmania
Version: 0.1 test template
Purpose: State-specific data sources and hydrological context for MIKE SHE models in Tasmania
Complements: MIKE SHE Public Data Catalog – Australia (national datasets are not repeated here)
1. Hydrological Context
1.1 Climate
- very wet west coast (more than 2,500 mm per year)
- Central Highlands with seasonal snow
- dry rain-shadow Midlands and east coast (around 500–600 mm per year)
- temperate maritime climate
1.2 Landscape
- Central Plateau with numerous lakes and hydropower storages
- steep, rugged western catchments
- Midlands valleys and the Tamar and Derwent estuaries
1.3 Key Modelling Challenges
- highly regulated rivers due to hydropower operations
- expanding irrigation schemes in the Midlands
- locally important groundwater use (Coal River Valley, Launceston Tertiary Basin)
- karst systems and groundwater-dependent ecosystems
- strong orographic rainfall gradients
2. Major Aquifer Systems
| Aquifer / System |
Type |
Modelling Relevance |
| Tertiary sedimentary basins (Launceston, Coal River, Longford) |
Sedimentary |
Irrigation |
| Jurassic dolerite and Tertiary basalt |
Fractured rock |
Springs, baseflow |
| Ordovician Gordon Limestone (e.g. Mole Creek) |
Karst |
GDEs, cave systems |
| Coastal sands (north-east coast, Bass Strait islands) |
Unconfined sand |
Local water supply |
3. State Data Sources
| Component |
Source |
Content |
MIKE SHE Use |
| Water information |
NRE Tasmania – Water |
Water Information System of Tasmania (WIST), water management plans |
Streamflow calibration, zonation |
| Groundwater |
Mineral Resources Tasmania |
Groundwater Information Access Portal (GIAP), geology |
Heads, bore logs, layering |
| Spatial data |
theLIST |
LiDAR, TASVEG vegetation, land use, land capability |
DEM refinement, vegetation, soils |
| Hydropower storages |
Hydro Tasmania |
Storage levels, operations |
River boundaries |
| Irrigation schemes |
Tasmanian Irrigation |
Irrigation districts |
Irrigation zones |
4. Water Management and Regulation
- water is managed under the Water Management Act 1999
- catchment-based Water Management Plans define allocation rules
- Tasmania is not part of the Murray-Darling Basin
5. Modelling Notes
- use a fine model grid in steep catchments
- activate snowmelt in the Central Highlands
- check SILO against local stations, as orographic gradients are strong
- represent hydropower releases as regulated boundaries
- consider karst preferential flow where limestone is present
6. Checklist
- [ ] relevant Water Management Plan identified
- [ ] WIST gauges and GIAP bores selected
- [ ] TASVEG used for vegetation zones
- [ ] hydropower regulation assessed