This dataset contains temperature, salinity, nutrient, trace metal and organic matter data for the Derwent Estuary (Tasmania), including Ralphs Bay and the mouths of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel and Storm Bay. The data were collected on various transects over 2 day periods at 3-monthly intervals, between March 1992 and July 1994. The sites sampled were a reduced subset of those used for the Derwent Estuary Physical Survey. Stations were chosen so that surface salinities ranged from 0 to 35 at intervals of about 5. Seven stations were sampled at fixed locations on each survey: at surface salinities of 0 and 35, two stations immediately downstream of major industries, and a transect of three stations across the river. The remaining stations (usually five) were selected to include all salinities that were not sampled at the fixed stations. Sampling was carried out at the surface (all stations), bottom (most stations), and intermediate depths at the seaward entrance to the estuary and midway down the estuary. The data form the chemical component of the Derwent Estuary study, carried out as part of the CSIRO Coastal Zone Program.
