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 report demonstrates a satellite remote sensing approach for characterising coastal habitats critical for threatened and migratory species. The analysis, part of the A12 Northern Seascapes Scoping Project, employed tide-tagged imagery and geometric medians to produce cloud-free composites and detect changes over a three-decade period.

Use Cases

• Monitoring mangrove expansion or die-back over time based on the three-decade Landsat time series mentioned in the description
• Mapping intertidal habitat extent and morphology for shorebird conservation based on the application of the Intertidal Extent Model
• Analyzing the effects of tidal dynamics on coastal habitats in regions with large and complex tides
• Developing habitat extent and condition monitoring tools using combined Landsat and Sentinel-2 data streams

Strengths

• Analysis covers seven specific estuaries: Darwin Harbour, Keep, Daly, Roper, Macarthur, Flinders, and Gilbert River estuaries
• Utilizes a three-decade long Landsat time series for change detection
• Employs advanced methods like tide-tagging and geometric medians to mitigate cloud interference

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 the Landsat archive.

Time Range

Covers a three-decade period from the Landsat archive, specific years not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 05:36:49.781017; freshness should be verified

Geography

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