Central Queensland Estuary Water Quality Measurements Since 1994

Monthly water quality measurements collected from nine estuaries and two coastal waters between Tin Can Inlet and the Fitzroy Estuary since 1994. The program, run by the Department of the Environment, Science and Tourism, collects chemical, physical, and biological profile data to assess long-term environmental trends.

Use Cases

• Analyze long-term trends in Chlorophyll-a (ug/L) and nutrient parameters like Total Nitrogen to assess algal biomass and eutrophication risks.
• Model relationships between physicochemical parameters such as Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L), Temperature (°C), and Salinity (PSU) across monitored sites.
• Use Secchi depth (m) and Turbidity (NTU) data to develop water clarity indices for environmental reporting.
• Spatially analyze water quality using Monitoring site latitude and longitude coordinates to identify regional pollution gradients.

Strengths

• Long-term monitoring program established in 1994, providing a multi-decade temporal baseline.
• Data covers 11 distinct water bodies (nine estuaries and two coastal waters) across Central Queensland.
• Includes a detailed suite of over 15 measured parameters spanning biological, chemical, and physical water quality.

Limitations

• Sample size (row count) and dataset volume are unknown, limiting assessment of statistical power.
• Data is provided in XLSX format, which may require conversion for large-scale programmatic analysis.
• Monitoring is focused on tidal estuaries and sheltered coastal waters, with limited coverage of freshwater systems.

Provenance

Source

Department of the Environment, Science and Tourism (DETSI) and predecessor organisations, via data.gov.au.

Collection Method

Monthly in-situ measurements and laboratory analyses from drifting boat or bankside platforms at fixed sites.

Time Range

Program established in 1994; ongoing monthly collection.

Freshness

Monthly monitoring frequency; dataset metadata last updated March 2026.

Geography

Central Queensland, Australia, covering waters between Tin Can Inlet and the Fitzroy Estuary.