North Esk and Tamar River Flood Water Surface Profiles

Flood water surface profiles for the North Esk and Tamar rivers in Tasmania, Australia. It includes profiles for 100-year and 200-year Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) flood events, with discharges derived from studies by Hydro Consulting and the University of New South Wales Water Research Laboratory. The underlying models were calibrated using flood events from 2005 and 2011.

Use Cases

• Compare flood levels for 100-year ARI and 200-year ARI profiles to assess planning risk zones.
• Analyze the relationship between North Esk flood discharges and South Esk discharges into the Tamar for different return periods.
• Model the impact of an 800mm sea level rise on 100-year ARI flood profiles for coastal planning.
• Validate hydrological models using the calibration data from the 2005 (470 cumecs) and 2011 (251 cumecs) flood events.

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 were calibrated against two recorded historical flood events (2005 and 2011).
• Profiles account for future sea level rise scenarios (800mm).

Limitations

• The spatial coverage is limited to the North Esk River from Black Bridge to Corra Linn and the Tamar River confluence.
• The dataset's primary stated use is for planning, which may limit its suitability for real-time operational flood forecasting.
• The underlying hydrological studies for the North and South Esk rivers were conducted in different years (2006 and 2008), potentially introducing methodological inconsistencies.

Provenance

Source

City of Launceston Open Data, authored by lccspatial.

Collection Method

Hydrological modeling based on studies by Hydro Consulting (South Esk) and UNSW Water Research Laboratory (North Esk).

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated March 20, 2026.

Geography

North Esk River (Black Bridge to Corra Linn) and Tamar River, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.