Coastal and Estuarine Dynamics in the Arafura Timor Seas

David Williams
Coastal Oceanography Australian Institute of Marine Science Arafura Timor Research Facility Darwin

4 9 11

Once upon a time .. a long time ago

coastal
estuarine

Short term projects NTC

Coastal Tide gauge network operated by NT Government

Site

Length of record

Centre Island
Melville Bay (Gove) Aurari Bay Snake Bay Darwin Harbour Port Keats

1973 - 1987
1964 2006 1979 - 1986 1980 - 1986 1959 2012* 1980 1986

Milner Bay (Groote-BOM)

1993 -2012*

Several other sites with a few years of record

Dept Nat Resources, The Arts & Sport

Period 3 Year G9070122 G9070122 5 00:00_01/01/1975 to 00:00_01/01/1978 Centre Island Tide G 100.00 2 Day Max & Min Centre Island Tide G 100.00 1 Month Mean Level (m) Level (m)

HYPLOT V133 Output 27/04/2011

1975-78

1 1975 1976 1977

Dept Nat Resources, The Arts & Sport

Period 3 Year G8260215 G8260215 5 00:00_01/01/1995 to 00:00_01/01/1998 Melville Bay Tide Ga 120.00 2 Day Max & Min Melville Bay Tide Ga 120.00 1 Month Mean Tide Level (m) Tide Level (m)

HYPLOT V133 Output 28/04/2011

1995-98

0 1995 1996 1997

Dept Nat Resources, The Arts & Sport

Period 3 Year 00:00_01/01/1982 to 00:00_01/01/1985 Snake Bay Tide Gauge 100.00 2 Day Max & Min Snake Bay Tide Gauge 100.00 1 Month Mean Level (m) Level (m) G8160007 G8160007 5

HYPLOT V133 Output 28/04/2011

1982-85

1 1982 1983 1984

Dept Nat Resources, The Arts & Sport

Period 3 Year G8150029 G8150029 9.8 00:00_01/01/1974 to 00:00_01/01/1977 Darwin Harbour Tide20.00 2 Day Max & Min 1 Darwin Harbour Tide20.00 1 Month Mean 1 Tide Level (m) Tide Level (m)

HYPLOT V133 Output 28/04/2011

1974-77

7.8

5.8

3.8

1.8

-0.2 1974 1975 1976

Dept Nat Resources, The Arts & Sport

Period 3 Year 00:00_01/01/1981 to 00:00_01/01/1984 Port Keats Tide Gaug100.00 2 Day Max & Min Port Keats Tide Gaug100.00 1 Month Mean Level (m) Level (m) G8130003 G8130003 9.9

HYPLOT V133 Output 28/04/2011

1981-84

7.9

5.9

3.9

1.9

-0.1 1981 1982 1983

Tide gauges

coastal

Short term projects NTC / AIMS

estuarine

South Alligator River Van Diemens Gulf

Dept Nat Resources, The Arts & Sport

Period 1 Year Plot Start00:00_01/02/2007 Interval12 Hour Plot End 00:00_01/02/2008 G8200041 South Alligator R. 100.00 Max & MinLevel (m) 10

HYPLOT V132 Output 28/04/2010

2007/08

-0

-5 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan

5 m tide range ~ 100 km inland from mouth

(6 m range at mouth)

Study Location

Location of tidal bores

What we hope to achieve

No previous field studies on tidal bores. Role of tidal bore on sediment transport not understood. Sediment transport / estuarine ecology unknown. Environmental flow requirements. Develop sediment transport /water quality models and contribute to catchment management.

The Daly River

Level and ADCP

level & S4

level & ADCP

level

ocean inside mouth 10km inside

tide level (m)

00 :0

06 :0 0

12 :0 0

18 :0

00 :0

06 :0

12 :0

18 :0

00 :0

time (hrs)

Tide levels in the lower estuary. Green line: ocean tide levels, Blue line: inside the mouth near Palmerston Island, Pink line: 10km upstream. Due to the shoals the tidal amplitude reduces with distance upstream and the tides become more asymmetric

Flood dominance

Tide dominance

We found that recent flood did not take sediment out to sea

Flood tide asymmetry

4.8

4.3

3.8

3.3

2.8

2.3

1.8 5 6 7

Qin = Qout therefore Vin > Vout

Field trip August 2003 Focus on tidal bore

1 day tidal bore experiment: July August 2003 And 1 month long estuarine study (August 2003)

1 site for bore

Safety awards

Passage of bore

4 m/s

Speed Water level

SSC

nephelometers

Undular bore dynamics

Turbulent eddies form after the passage of the bore

7 100

Up and down welling

Downstream of shoal

Horizontal shear

Backscatter in shear zone

Downwelling occurs on the edge of shears and eddies. Upwelling toward the centre. Is important for the re suspension of sediment and nutrient.

boat track 2003 on 1980 map

Boat track on latest satellite image

1885 chart

surveyed by Lt Carrington HMS Palmerston

Historical evidence for siltation at the mouth.

Compare bathymetric surveys of Carrington (1885) with our surveys in 2004 at the RAN tide gauge station

Depth (m)

Distance

Daly Mouth 2004 Survey

1885 Daly Mouth Survey
8529000
8529000

Daly River Estuary Survey March 2006

8528000
8528000

8529000

8527000

8527000

8528000

8526000

8526000

8527000

8525000

8526000

8525000
8524000

8525000

8523000

8524000
8524000

8522000

8523000
8523000

8521000

8522000
8520000

8522000

8519000

8521000

8521000

8518000 634000 635000 636000 637000 638000 639000 640000 641000 642000

8520000

8520000

8519000 637000 638000 639000 640000 641000 642000 643000

8519000 637000 638000 639000 640000 641000 642000 643000

Comparison of bathymetric surveys 1885 - 2004 - 2007

Year

Volume (m3) 111,465,813 95,041,625 93,030,645

Planar Area (m2) 17,153,758 23,779,795 21,731,400

Volume/Area ~mean depth (m) 6.50 4.00 4.28

1885 2004 2006

Dodgy calculations Need to know LAT derived in 1885 Need to recalculate using a bit more care.

cage

Darwin Harbour
Gunn Pt

Lee Pt Charles Pt

Area 1050 km2

50 km

Area: 620 km2

Transects Moorings

Location of measurement sites

Darwin Harbour Tide Levels

9 8

nth Abuoy Darwin Wickham StormPt Prawn Rocks

-1 0:00

6:00

12:00

18:00

0:00

Outer boundary to upstream Middle Arm

Darwin Harbour
4.20 mean Annual Linear (mean Annual) 4.15 1.7 mm / year 4.10 R = 0.1547

4.05

4.00

3.95

3.90

3.85 1958 1968 1978 1988 1998 2008

SOI v MMSL
4.4

4.3

4.2

4.1

3.9 y = 0.0051x + 4.0135 R = 0.2143 3.8 SOI -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40

3.7

MMSL

Predicted versus recorded 1974

Effect of cyclonic winds on Christmas eve 1974 reaching >=220 km/hr

Darwin Harbour
4.20 mean Annual Linear (mean Annual) 4.15 1.7 mm / year 4.10 R = 0.1547

4.05

4.00

3.95

3.90

3.85 1958 1968 1978 1988 1998 2008

Measurements with ADCP

120,000 m3/s

Darwin Harbour

Model network

Darwin Harbour

Circulation around headlands and embayments

Darwin Harbour

Currents near islands

Sediment Plumes

Distinctive particle traces

Darwin Harbour
dredging disposal proposal

Sediment concentration (mg/L)

Darwin Harbour
dredging disposal proposal

Sediment concentration (mg/L)

Darwin NRS September 2009 0 350 10 340 20 330 320 310 300 12% 290 8% 280 4% 270 0% 260 250 240 230 220 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 100 110 120 90 80 70 30 40 50 16% 60 <=0.2 >0.2 - 0.4 >0.4 - 0.6 >0.6 - 0.8 >0.8 - 1 >1 - 1.2 >1.2 - 1.4 >1.4

Sediment import 34t / m / month

340 330 320 310 300 290 280 270

East Arm near Blaydin Pt 0 350 10

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 >0 - 0.2 >0.2 - 0.4 >0.4 - 0.6 >0.6 - 0.8 >0.8

0% 260 250 240 230 220 210 200 190 180

4%

8%

12%

16% 100 110 120

130 140 150 170 160

Sediment import 9t / m / month

340 330 320 310 300 290 280 270

Hudson Ck deployment 1 0 350 10

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 >0 - 0.2 >0.2 - 0.4 >0.4 - 0.6 >0.6 - 0.8 >0.8 - 1 >1 - 1.2 >1.2 - 1.4 >1.4

0% 260 250 240 230 220 210 200 190 180

2%

4%

6%

8%

10% 100 110 120

130 140 150 170 160

Sediment export 17t / m /month

East Arm
Year 2009 day 200 hour 0.000
2000.

0.20

Residual currents 1 lunar tide cycle

Understanding Flushing Characteristics

IXSURVEY Darwin Projects

New

69

Technology

First

Darwin Port Corporation Surveys using modern multibeam technology Requires a tightly integrated survey system comprising: Multibeam Echosounder Motion and Heading Reference Unit GPS 1 PPS timing

IXSURVEY Darwin Projects

Changes

70

in shallow sounding technology Leadline 2 soundings / minute Single Beam 20 soundings / second Multibeam 2000 soundings + / second

IXSURVEY Darwin Projects

Jan

71

2010

First

Darwin Survey Charles Point Patches LNG Terminal East Arm

Charles Point Patches

IXSURVEY Darwin Projects

Jan

72

2012

Check

Survey on Charles Point Patches required due to changes

Charles Point Patches

IXSURVEY Darwin Projects

Combined

73

Surface

Master
3rd party data

Included

Deconfliction
Most

recent Least depth

IXSURVEY Darwin Projects

Hydrographic
High

74

Survey Products

resolution bathymetry Navigation safety Object / wreck detection Modelling for large vessel movements Modelling currents and water movement Modelling sediment movement

Sonar

Backscatter Sediment classification Benthic Habitat Mapping

IXSURVEY Darwin Projects

High

75

Resolution Bathymetry
USS

Peary

IXSURVEY Darwin Projects

76

Entrance to Middle Arm Looking South

IXSURVEY Darwin Projects

Sonar

77

Backscatter
Elizabeth

River

Northern Australian Observation System

Conclusion

There are a few basic requirements Tides Bathymetry Currents

River flows
Sediment properties Other physical, chemical and biological parameters