eReefs GBR1 Diuron Dispersal: Great Barrier Reef Pesticide Modelling, 2016-2018

A marine model simulation quantifies the dispersal of the pesticide diuron in the Great Barrier Reef from January 2016 to July 2018. The 1 km resolution eReefs GBR1 model, nested within a 4 km model, simulates diuron transport based on hydrodynamic fluxes from wind, tides, and river inputs. The model, sourced from the Australian Ocean Data Network, incorporates a determined diuron half-life of 40 days and freshwater input from 16 rivers.

Use Cases

• Modeling pesticide fate and transport in marine environments based on simulated hydrodynamic fluxes and riverine inputs.
• Assessing compliance with water quality guidelines for diuron concentrations in the Great Barrier Reef.
• Analyzing the influence of specific high-risk river catchments (e.g., Murray, Mossman) on coastal diuron loads.
• Studying freshwater plume dynamics and their role in contaminant dispersal from 16 modelled rivers.

Strengths

• Simulation uses a high-resolution 1 km model nested within a 4 km model for stable boundary conditions.
• Model validation includes comparison with observations at 11 monitoring sites to determine a diuron half-life of 40 days.
• Covers a specific temporal period from January 2016 to July 2018.
• Incorporates realistic river plume dynamics for 16 freshwater inputs to avoid transport overestimation.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the Great Barrier Reef focus.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au

Collection Method

Modelled data from the eReefs GBR1 hydrodynamic and transport model, forced by wind, atmospheric pressure, heat fluxes, tides, and waves.

Time Range

January 2016 to July 2018

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-18 18:26:26.737043; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Great Barrier Reef marine environment