MIKE SHE Public Data Catalog – State Supplement¶
Queensland¶
Version: 0.1 test template
Purpose: State-specific data sources and hydrological context for MIKE SHE models in Queensland
Complements: MIKE SHE Public Data Catalog – Australia (national datasets are not repeated here)
1. Hydrological Context¶
1.1 Climate¶
- tropical north with a pronounced wet season (December–April) and tropical cyclones
- subtropical south-east with intense summer storms
- semi-arid to arid west
- strong ENSO influence and extreme floods (e.g. 2011, 2022)
1.2 Landscape¶
- eastern coastal catchments draining to the Great Barrier Reef (e.g. Burdekin, Fitzroy, Burnett)
- Gulf of Carpentaria rivers in the north
- Channel Country (Cooper, Diamantina, Georgina) in the Lake Eyre Basin
- Condamine-Balonne and Border Rivers in the Murray-Darling Basin
1.3 Key Modelling Challenges¶
- coal seam gas depressurisation in the Surat and Bowen basins
- Great Artesian Basin pressures and springs
- irrigation (Condamine, Burdekin, Bundaberg, Lockyer)
- seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers
- sediment and nutrient loads to the Great Barrier Reef
- flood pulses on very flat Channel Country floodplains
2. Major Aquifer Systems¶
| Aquifer / System | Type | Modelling Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Great Artesian Basin (Hutton, Precipice, Hooray sandstones) | Confined sandstone | CSG impacts, springs |
| Condamine Alluvium | Alluvial | Irrigation depletion, connectivity to Walloon Coal Measures |
| Walloon Coal Measures | Coal / aquitard | Main CSG target |
| Burdekin Delta | Coastal alluvium | Managed aquifer recharge, seawater intrusion |
| Bundaberg coastal aquifers | Coastal sedimentary | Irrigation, seawater intrusion |
| Pioneer Valley | Coastal alluvium | Irrigation, seawater intrusion |
| Lockyer Valley alluvium | Alluvial | Irrigation, drought depletion |
3. State Data Sources¶
| Component | Source | Content | MIKE SHE Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface water and groundwater monitoring | Water Monitoring Information Portal | Streamflow, levels, groundwater levels, water quality | Calibration, boundaries |
| Groundwater database and spatial data | Queensland Globe | Registered bores, soils (SALI), land use, geology | Heads, bore logs, parameters |
| Open data | Queensland Open Data Portal | Land use (QLUMP), regional ecosystems, groundwater data | Land use, vegetation zones |
| Geology | GSQ Open Data Portal | Geological data, boreholes, reports | Hydrogeological layering |
| CSG impacts | Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment (OGIA) | Underground Water Impact Report, Surat regional groundwater model, spring data | Boundary conditions, impact context |
| Water plans and licensing | Business Queensland – Water | Water plans, allocations, licences | Zonation, pumping |
| LiDAR | ELVIS / Queensland spatial data | High-resolution elevation | Floodplains, channel geometry |
4. Water Management and Regulation¶
- water is managed through water plans under the Water Act 2000
- OGIA assesses cumulative CSG impacts in declared Cumulative Management Areas (e.g. Surat CMA)
- Reef protection regulations apply to agriculture in Great Barrier Reef catchments
- bulk water suppliers (e.g. Seqwater, Sunwater) operate major storages
5. Modelling Notes¶
- use sub-daily forcing for the wet season, since daily SILO rainfall smooths cyclonic and convective intensities
- use LiDAR on Channel Country and coastal floodplains wherever available
- model the Burdekin recharge channels and pits as managed aquifer recharge
- use OGIA model outputs as context or boundary conditions for Surat-area models
- for the Condamine and Border Rivers, see also the Murray-Darling Basin supplement
- for GAB-related models, see also the Great Artesian Basin supplement
6. Checklist¶
- relevant water plan identified
- WMIP gauges and bores selected
- Queensland Globe bore logs extracted
- OGIA data checked for CSG influence
- regional ecosystem mapping used for vegetation zones