NESP A12: Satellite-Based Mapping of Seven Northern Australian Estuaries

Seven northern Australian estuaries were examined using the Digital Earth Australia Landsat archive to map intertidal areas and mangrove extent. The analysis employed tide-tagged imagery and an Intertidal Extent Model to produce cloud-free composites and detect habitat change over a three-decade period. This report, part of the A12 Northern Seascapes Scoping Project, demonstrates the potential for monitoring coastal habitats critical for threatened and migratory species.

Use Cases

• Monitoring mangrove expansion or die-back over time based on the three-decade Landsat time series
• Mapping intertidal extent and morphology for shorebird habitat assessment using the Intertidal Extent Model
• Analyzing the effects of tidal dynamics on coastal habitats using tide-tagged satellite imagery
• Developing habitat condition monitoring tools by integrating Landsat and Sentinel-2 data streams

Strengths

• Analysis covers seven specific estuaries: Darwin Harbour, Keep, Daly, Roper, Macarthur, Flinders, and Gilbert River
• Utilizes a three-decade long, high-density Landsat time series for change detection
• Employs geometric median composites to mitigate cloud interference in northern Australia

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing analysis using the Digital Earth Australia (DEA) platform and Landsat archive.

Time Range

Covers approximately three decades of Landsat data, specific years not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05 05 00:06:22.121562; freshness should be verified

Geography

Seven estuaries in northern Australia: Darwin Harbour, Keep, Daly, Roper, Macarthur, Flinders, and Gilbert River.