The Surface Hydrology Points (Regional) dataset provides a set of related features classes to be used as the basis of the production of consistent hydrological information. This dataset contains a geometric representation of major hydrographic point elements - both natural and artificial. This dataset is the best available data supplied by Jurisdictions and aggregated by Geoscience Australia it is intended for defining hydrological features.

In many areas of the world, vegetation dynamics in semi-arid floodplain environments have been seriously impacted by increased river regulation and groundwater use. In this study, the condition of two of Australia's iconic riparian and floodplain vegetation elements, River Red Gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) and Black Box (E. largiflorens) are examined in relation to differing hydraulic regimes. With increases in regulation along Murray-Darling Basin rivers, flood volume, seasonality and frequency have changed which has in turn affected the condition and distribution of vegetation. Rather than undertaking a field based assessment of tree health in response to current water regimes, this paper documents a remote sensing study that assessed historic response of vegetation to a range of different climatic and hydraulic regimes at a floodplain scale. This methodology innovatively combined high-resolution vegetation structural mapping derived from LiDAR data (Canopy Digital Elevation Model and Foliage Projected Cover) with 23 years of Landsat time-series data. Statistical summaries of Normalised Difference Vegetation Index values were generated for each spatially continuous vegetation structural class (e.g. stand of closed forest) for each Landsat scene. Consequently long-term temporal change in vegetation condition was assessed against different water regimes (drought, local rainfall, river bank full, overbank flow, and lake filling). Results provide insight into vegetation response to different water sources and overall water availability. Additionally, some inferences can be made about lag times associated with vegetation response and the duration of the response once water availability has declined (e.g. after floodwaters recede). This methodology should enable water managers to better assess the adequacy of environmental flows.

Mean monthly and mean annual maximum, minimum & mean temperature grids. The grids show the temperature values across Australia in the form of two-dimensional array data. The mean data are based on the standard 30-year period 1961-1990. Gridded data were generated using the ANU (Australian National University) 3-D Spline (surface fitting algorithm). As part of the 3-D analysis process a 0.025 degree resolution digital elevation model (DEM) was used. The grid point resolution of the data is 0.025 degrees (approximately 2.5km). Approximately 600 stations were used in the analysis over Australia. All input station data underwent a high degree of quality control before analysis, and conform to WMO (World Meteorological Organisation) standards for data quality.

Floodplain vegetation can be degraded from both too much and too little water due to regulation. Over-regulation and increased use of groundwater in these landscapes can exacerbate the effects related to natural climate variability. Prolonged flooding of woody plants has been found to induce a number of physiological disturbances such as early stomatal closure and inhibition of photosynthesis. However drought conditions can also result in leaf biomass reduction and sapwood area decline. Depending on the species, different inundation and drought tolerances are observed. This paper focuses specifically on differing lake level management practices in order to assess associated environmental impacts. In western NSW, two Eucalyptus species, River Red Gum (E. camaldulensis) and Black Box (E. largiflorens) have well documented tolerances and both are located on the fringes of lakes in the Menindee Lakes Storage Water scheme. Flows to these lakes have been controlled since 1960 and lake levels monitored since 1979. Pre-regulation aerial photos indicate a significant change to the distribution of lake-floor and fringing vegetation in response to increased inundation frequency and duration. In addition, by coupling historic lake water-level data with a Landsat satellite imagery, spatial and temporal vegetation response to different water regimes has been observed. Two flood events specifically investigated are the 2010/11 and 1990 floods. Results from this analysis provide historic examples of vegetation response to lake regulation including whether recorded inundation duration and frequency resulted in positive or negative impacts, the time delay till affects become evident, duration of observed response and general recovery/reversal times. These findings can be used to inform ongoing water management decisions.

Mean monthly and mean annual areal actual, areal potential and point potential evapotranspiration grids. The grids show the evapotranspiration values across Australia in the form of two-dimensional array data. The mean data are based on the standard 30-year period 1961-1990. Gridded data were generated using the ANU (Australian National University) 3-D Spline (surface fitting algorithm). The grid point resolution of the data is 0.1 degrees ( approximately 10km). As part of the 3-D analysis process a 0.1 degree resolution digital elevation model (DEM) was used. Approximately 700 stations were used in the analysis, and all input station data underwent a high degree of quality control before analysis, and conform to WMO (World Meteorological Organisation) standards for data quality. Areal Actual ET is the ET that actually takes place, under the condition of existing water supply, from an area so large that the effects of any upwind boundary transitions are negligible and local variations are integrated to an areal average. Areal Potential ET is the ET that would take place, under the condition of unlimited water supply, from an area so large that the effects of any upwind boundary transitions are negligible and local variations are integrated to an areal average. Point Potential ET is the ET that would take place, under the condition of unlimited water supply, from an area so small that the local ET effects do not alter local airmass properties. It is assumed that latent and sensible heat transfers within the height of measurement are through convection only. The above definitions are based on those given by Morton (1983), but we have used the term areal potential ET for Mortons wet-environment ET and the term point potential ET for Mortons potential ET. Morton, F.I. (1983). Operational estimates of areal evapotranspiration and their significance to the science and practice of hydrology. Journal of Hydrology, 66: 1-76.

The combination of anthropogenic activity and climate variability has resulted in changes to hydrologic regimes across the globe. Changes in water availability impact on vegetation structure and function, particularly in semi-arid landscapes. Riparian and floodplain vegetation communities are sensitive to changes to surface-water and groundwater availability in these water-limited landscapes. Remote-sensing multi-temporal methods can be used to detect changes in vegetation at a regional to local scale. In this study, a `best-available pixel' approach was used to represent dry-season, woody-vegetation-canopy characteristics inferred from Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). This paper describes a method in which Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+ data from 1987 to 2011 were processed using object-based image-analysis techniques to generate annual minimum NDVI values for vegetation communities in the Lower-Darling floodplain The changes detected in riparian and floodplain canopies over time can then be integrated with other spatial data to identify water-source dependence and infer a relationship between changes to the hydrologic characteristics of specific water sources and vegetation dynamics.

This record has been created for Sales to be able to invoice data requests that occur from downloading of data from the National Elevation Data Framework (NEDF) Web Portal. The Portal was set up in 2010 and data more than 400MB needs to be downloaded from the holding pen on the NEDF server and copied onto media and sent to the requester. Each data request will come with metadata and the appropriate data licence.

Completion of a pilot study over the Namoi and Murrumbidgee catchments was part of the 2012-13 project schedule between Bureau of Meteorology (Bureau) and Geoscience Australia. The purpose of the pilot was to consolidate four years of research and development of the 1 second SRTM DEM, ANUDEM Streams, and National Catchment Boundaries to enable GA operational capacity to recreate the foundation datasets for Geofabric Phase 3 deliverables. This report is aimed to highlight how successfully the process has worked, issues that have arisen and identify and develop future modifications of the methodology to enable the production of Phase 3 Geofabric products. This professional opinion has been created for the Bureau and the Geofabric Steering Committees for review of Phase 3 of the Geofabric.

Mean monthly and mean annual rainfall grids. The grids show the rainfall values across Australia in the form of two-dimensional array data. The mean data are based on the standard 30-year period 1961-1990. Gridded data were generated using the ANU (Australian National University) 3-D Spline (surface fitting algorithm). The resolution of the data is 0.025 degrees ( approximately 2.5km) - as part of the 3-D analysis process a 0.025 degree resolution digital elevation model (DEM) was used. Approximately 6000 stations were used in the analysis over Australia. All input station data underwent a high degree of quality control before analysis, and conform to WMO (World Meteorological Organisation) standards for data quality.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and quantify the accuracy with which hydrological signals in the Murray-Darling Basin, southeast Australia can be estimated from GRACE. We assessed the extent to which the Earth's major geophysical processes contaminate the gravitational signals in the Basin. Eighteen of the world's largest geophysical processes which generate major gravitational signals (e.g. melting of the Greenland icesheet, hydrology in the Amazon Basin) were simulated and the proportion of the simulated signal detected in the Murray - Darling Basin was calculated. The sum of the cumulative effects revealed a maximum of ~4 mm (equivalent water height) of spurious signal was detected within the Murray - Darling Basin; a magnitude smaller than the uncertainty of the basin-scale estimates of changes in total water storage. Thus, GRACE products can be used to monitor broad scale hydrologic trends and variability in the Murray-Darling Basin without the need to account for contamination of the estimates from external geophysical sources.