North Esk and Tamar River Flood Water Surface Profiles

A collection of flood water surface profiles for the North Esk and Tamar rivers in Tasmania, Australia, derived from hydrological studies. It includes profiles for 100-year and 200-year Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) flood events, with discharges calibrated to historical floods from 2005 and 2011. The data is intended for planning purposes and incorporates sea level rise scenarios.

Use Cases

• Model flood inundation extents for the North Esk River using the 100-year ARI profile with current sea level conditions.
• Assess climate change impacts on flood risk by comparing the standard 100-year ARI profile with the profile incorporating an 800mm sea level rise.
• Calibrate hydrological models using the documented North Esk flood discharges for events like the 470 cumecs peak in August 2005.
• Conduct flood frequency analysis for urban planning using the provided flood return periods (ARI) and corresponding discharge data.

Strengths

• Includes specific flood discharge values for multiple Average Recurrence Intervals (e.g., 614 cumecs for a 100-year ARI on the North Esk).
• Models are calibrated to two recorded historical flood events (August 2005 and June 2011), providing empirical validation.
• Profiles account for future sea level conditions with an 800mm rise scenario for the 100-year ARI event.

Limitations

• The spatial coverage is limited to specific river reaches from Black Bridge to Corra Linn on the North Esk and the Tamar confluence.
• The underlying hydrological studies for the North and South Esk rivers were conducted in 2006 and 2008, which may not reflect recent climatic changes.
• Data format and structure are not explicitly defined, as columns and sample data are unavailable.

Provenance

Source

City of Launceston Open Data, authored by lccspatial.

Collection Method

Hydrological modeling commissioned from Hydro Consulting (South Esk) and the University of New South Wales Water Research Laboratory (North Esk), calibrated to historical flood events.

Time Range

Hydrological studies from 2006 and 2008; model calibration uses floods from 2005 and 2011.

Freshness

The dataset metadata was last updated in March 2026, but the core hydrological studies date from 2006-2008.

Geography

North Esk River from Black Bridge to Corra Linn, and the Tamar River confluence, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.