Great Barrier Reef 4km Hydrodynamic Model Results v4.0

Featuring results from version 4.0 of the 4km-resolution regional-scale hydrodynamic model of the Great Barrier Reef. The model is forced with surface atmospheric data from BARRA, ocean boundaries from BRAN2020, a global tide model, and river data from 64 catchments. It represents the best available eReefs hydrodynamic model results for its timespan, succeeding the GBR4_H2p0 model.

Use Cases

• Analyze hydrodynamic patterns using the 4km-resolution model grid to study current and water property distributions.
• Validate the model's output against in-situ observations using the specific forcing data sources like BARRA atmospheric reanalysis and BRAN2020 ocean boundaries.
• Investigate the impact of riverine inputs from the 64 specified catchments on nearshore reef hydrodynamics and water quality.
• Study tidal influences within the Great Barrier Reef using the integrated global TPXO tide model component.

Strengths

• Model results are based on high-quality forcing data, including BARRA atmospheric reanalysis and BRAN2020 ocean reanalysis with data assimilation.
• Provides a detailed 4km spatial resolution for regional-scale analysis of the Great Barrier Reef.
• Incorporates inputs from 64 individual rivers, allowing for detailed analysis of freshwater influences.

Limitations

• The dataset consists of model outputs, not direct observations, and is subject to the assumptions and potential biases of the GBR4 hydrodynamic model.
• Specific temporal coverage and the total volume of data (rows, file size) are not detailed in the provided input.
• Primary data formats listed are HTML and PNG, which may not be the most convenient for quantitative analysis without access to the underlying raw model files.

Provenance

Source

CSIRO Marlin Data Catalogue

Collection Method

Output from version 4.0 of the eReefs GBR4 hydrodynamic model run in hindcast mode.

Freshness

The metadata was last updated in March 2026, indicating recent maintenance of the catalog entry.

Geography

Great Barrier Reef region, Australia