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Estuaries in NSW

Lake Macquarie

Tidal Data Summary

This page show a summary of Tidal Data for this estuary that has been collected under the Estuary Management Program and its predecessors, in conjunction with Manly Hydraulics Laboratory (See MHL Report-1200, June 2004).

Tidal Prism Measurements

The Tidal Prism is the volume of water that flows into (Flood) and out of (Ebb) the estuary during a tide. This of course depends on the tidal range (difference between high and low water during the day of measurement. It also depends on where the measurements are taken.

The following table shows the measured Tidal Prism at the location closest to the entrance of the system, along with the Tidal Range for near the measurement site and at Fort Denison, Sydney Harbour.

 
Location approximately 500m upstream from the entrance on 16/4/96

 

Tide State Flow Local Fort Denison
(106 m3) Tidal Range (m) Tidal Range (m)
Flood Flow 10.89 1.16 1.29
Ebb Flow 11.18 1.18 1.34
 

Tidal Survey Reports

A Tidal Survey is a measurement program run over at least one full tidal period, that is, approximately 12.5 hours. Over this time, tidal characteristics are measured at a number of locations in the estuary consecatively. The tidal characteristics measured include tidal flow and velocity, water levels, and physical water quality characteristics such as salinity, temperature, disolved oxygen, pH and turbidity.

The following table outlines the Tidal Surveys that have been undertaken on this estuary, when it was done, a simple description of what was measured and the MHL Report that can be used for further reference. For the most comprehensive survey, a map shows the location and plots of the flows and water levels measured.

 
Date Data Collected Figure MHL Report
1973-01-01 Lake Macquarie channel study. MHL168
1974-01-01 Lake Macquarie channel study - includes some velocity data from 1969. MHL185
1978-08-23 Discharge measured at 1 line, water levels at 4 locations,
1979-09-06 Current metering by District Office.
1980-03-18 Current metering at 6 lines, 9 tideboards, temp/salinity and suspended sediments. MHL307
1982-02-05 Float tracking by Newcastle Office - no MHL input.
1982-02-12 Float tracking by Newcastle Office - no MHL input.
1983-11-03 Current metering at 2 lines, 6 tideboards, temperature/salinity readings, dissolved oxygen, suspended sediment sampling, anemometer and barograph. MHL424
1986-10-27 Half tidal cycle current metering at 1 line, 1 tideboard, temperature/salinity and drogue tracking.
1986-12-17 Current metering at 8 lines, 3 tideboards, temp/sal readings and drogue tracking - raw data only. MHL491
1987-06-02 Intake flow measurements of velocity and water level at Bayswater Power Station.
1996-06-14 Extensive data collection, water levels at 9 sites, velocities at 4 sites (16/4) and 2 sites (24/4), in situ water quality at 4 sites and 172 water quality profiles. pdf MHL770
 

Water Level Data

This table shows the Current and Historical Sites for Real Time Water Levels measurements. The date of commencement for the records are noted in brackets. All data for these sites can be obtained through Manly Hydraulics Laboratory.

 
Sites
Current Barnsley Vale (February 1986), Cockle Creek Railway Station (February 1985), Marmong Point (June 1986), Belmont (May 1986), Kalang Road (September 1993), Cooranbong (June 1990), Morisset (December 1984) and Swansea Channel (March 1996).
Historical Breakwater.

Water Quality Data

This table shows the Current and Historical Sites for Real Time Water Quality measurements. The date of commencement for the records are noted in brackets. All data for these sites can be obtained through Manly Hydraulics Laboratory.

 
Sites
Current No data.
Historical Temperature/salinity data collected in conjunction with the tidal gaugings (see above).