Murray-Darling Basin Wetland Extent Map from Landsat Imagery

Wetlands greater than 5 hectares were identified across Australia's Murray-Darling Basin using Landsat MSS imagery from 1983 to 1993. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority created this dataset by classifying spectral data into groups like floodplain wetlands and saline lakes. An external review by state agencies refined the initial mapping series.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial distribution of floodplain wetlands, freshwater lakes, saline lakes, and reservoirs across the basin.
• Track changes in maximum wetland extent over the 1983-1993 decade using the classified Landsat spectral data.
• Model hydrological connectivity by integrating wetland polygons greater than 5ha with other basin water data.
• Assess land cover change by comparing this historical wetland baseline with contemporary satellite imagery.

Strengths

• Identifies wetlands using a ten-year period (1983-1993) for temporal consistency.
• Includes only wetland features with a minimum mapping unit of 5 hectares.
• Data underwent external review by relevant state agencies in NSW, Vic, Qld, SA, and ACT.

Limitations

• Data reflects historical conditions from 1983-1993 and may not represent current wetland extent.
• The 5-hectare minimum size excludes smaller, potentially ecologically significant wetlands.
• Classification is based on 1980s-1990s Landsat MSS imagery, which has lower spatial resolution than modern sensors.

Provenance

Source

Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

Collection Method

Unsupervised classification of Landsat MSS spectral classes combined with ancillary wetland information.

Time Range

1983 to 1993.

Freshness

Last platform update was 2026-04-04, but the underlying data reflects the 1983-1993 period.

Geography

Murray-Darling Basin, Australia.