Indicators of Catchment Condition in the Intensive Land Use Zone of Australia – Predicted 2050 salinity

It should be noted that this data is now dated!

The indicator reflects the probability that a catchment will develop a significant salinity problem at some future time or continue to expand in an existing one.

It is an indicator of hydrologic disequilibrium and is relevant across a range of scales.

The 2050 predicted extent of salinity was modelled by various state and territory agencies for the National Land and Water Resources Audit, 2001.

Different methods were used to estimate the extent so this national view of predicted extent is not consistent and open to errors.

Most catchments in Western Australiaas southwest are predicted to continue with substantial salt areas to 2050.

Some increases are predicted for the southeast coastal catchments.

Catchments in Western Australia that are predicted to have increased salinity problems are the Esperance Coast, Albany Coast, Denmark, Kent, Frankland, Shannon, Warren, Donnelly, Blackwood, Busselton, Preston, Collie, Harvey, Murray, Avon, Swan Coast, Moore Hill River basins.

The extent of salinity in Tasmania and Queensland is predicted to decline slightly, with no new areas identified.

In South Australia, NSW and Victoria salinity is predicted to worsen, including more areas of catchments throughout the Murray-Darling Basin, in southwest Victoria and in the upper southeast of South Australia.

In Victoria the catchments predicted to have increased salinity are Millicent Coast, Glenelg, Portland Coast, Hopkins, Otway Coast, Lake Corangamite, Barwon, Moorabool, Werribee, Maribyrnong River basins.

In NSW the catchment with a predicted major increase in areas of salinisation is the Castlereagh.

Data are available as:

• continental maps at 5km (0.05 deg) cell resolution for the ILZ;
• spatial averages over CRES defined catchments (CRES, 2000) in the ILZ;
• spatial averages over the AWRC river basins in the ILZ.

See further metadata for more detail.