Bathymetric survey of the Upper Clarence

This database includes bathymetric data of the Clarence River (NSW, Australia). The upstream location is Copmanhurst (29° 35’ 52” S; 152° 47’ 41” E); the downstream location is Mountain View (29° 36’ 57” S; 152° 51’ 35” E).

The field survey was completed in November 2015 by Monash Univeristy using a SonTek M9 HydroSurveyor Acoustic Doppler Profiler mounted on a kayak. The M9 has built-in compensation for pitch and roll, and an integrated Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) with a horizontal accuracy of 1 m or less. Vertical profiles of salinity, temperature and pressure were sampled using the Sontek CastAway and interpolated in space and time using HydroSurveyor software in order to achieve a full sound speed compensation of depth data and thus a 0.02 m depth accuracy.

XYD_soundings.asc --> Easting, Northing, and water depth measurements. Projection: GDA94, zone 56. Depth in meters. Full sound speed compensation of depth data was achieved by interpolating the vertical profiles of salinity, temperature and pressure sampled using the Sontek CastAway.

Sonar depths were converted to bed elevations and tied to the Australian Height Datum (AHD) using a planar water surface level fitted to water elevation records registered at Lilydale (Australian Bureau of Meteorology), Rogan Bridge and Grafton (New South Wales Manly Hydraulics Laboratory). Several interpolation methods have been proposed in literature. This database provides the outcome of a custom interpolation method based on a local along-thalweg curvilinear coordinate system. Errors in the bathymetric grid are difficult to quantify and this interpolated database has the purpose to provide a possible, yet realistic 3-dimensional representation of the river reach.

XYZ_Interpolation_example.asc --> Easting, Northing, Elevation of interpolated points. Projection: GDA94 zone 56. Datum: Australian Height Datum (AHD).

Data collection and data processing protocols are described in the paper "Effective representation of river geometry in hydraulic flood forecast models" (S.Grimaldi, Y. Li, J.P.Walker, V.R.N. Pauwels) submitted for publication to Water Resources Research.

REFERENCES

When using this database, please cite the database as "S.Grimaldi, Y.Li, J.P. Walker, V.R.N. Pauwels. Monash University (2017). Bathymetric survey of the Upper Clarence. DOI: 10.4225/03/5a20708405ecd" and the paper.