Monthly On-Farm Storage Water Volume Estimates For Northern Murray-Darling Basin

A monthly time series from 1987 to present provides estimated water volume for On-Farm Storages across five valleys in Australia's northern Murray-Darling Basin. The data is derived using a two-step remote sensing approach combining Landsat and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery with LiDAR-derived storage capacity curves. Spatial Services (DCS) updates the dataset monthly with cloud-free imagery.

Use Cases

• Analyze long-term water volume trends from 1987 to present for On-Farm Storages to assess impacts of climate variability and regulatory changes.
• Model relationships between satellite-derived water surface area and LiDAR-based storage capacity curves for volume estimation.
• Monitor monthly water volume changes across the Border River, Gwydir, Namoi, Macquarie-Castlereagh, and Barwon-Darling valleys for regional water management.
• Validate remote sensing methodologies using the geospatial model and storage bathymetry model referenced in the dataset documentation.

Strengths

• Time series spans from 1987 to the present, providing over 35 years of consistent monthly records.
• Covers five distinct valleys (Border River, Gwydir, Namoi, Macquarie-Castlereagh, Barwon-Darling) in the northern Murray-Darling Basin.
• Methodology integrates multispectral satellite imagery from Landsat (30m) and Sentinel-2 (10m) with LiDAR-derived storage curves.
• Updated monthly using the latest available cloud-free satellite imagery.

Limitations

• Water volume is an estimated value derived from remote sensing and modeling, not direct measurement.
• Data availability depends on cloud-free satellite imagery, which may cause gaps in monthly updates.
• The dataset is provided as ArcGIS REST and Feature Services, requiring GIS software for access and analysis.

Provenance

Source

Spatial Services (DCS), data_gov_au

Collection Method

Remote sensing approach using Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery combined with a geospatial model and LiDAR-derived storage capacity curves.

Time Range

1987 to present

Freshness

Updated monthly.

Geography

Five valleys of the northern Murray-Darling Basin, Australia: Border River, Gwydir, Namoi, Macquarie-Castlereagh, and Barwon-Darling.