Australian Estuarine Database (Digby) Survey 1998 - Glossary of Terms | |
| Amenities Value | |
| High | Extensive Port development with specialised maintenance and loading facilities to cater for international cargo vessels, OR a large harbour and marina development, wharves, slipways, yacht clubs, several boat ramps and public jetties |
| Low | At most a boat ramp and vehicular access |
| Moderate | Two-wheel-drive access, public boat ramp and jetty and/or mooring and loading facilities for commercial fishing, and light cargo vessels |
| Conservation Threat | |
| None | No potential threat can be identified or current monitoring or protective measures are adequate to contain identified threats |
| Perceived | A possible cause of degradation of fisheries or conservation values has been identified and requires research or monitoring to assess its effects |
| Real | A situation exists, or is planned, that has been proven to cause degradation of fisheries or conservation values and would require immediate action to reduce or reverse its effect |
| Conservation Value | |
| High | The estuary supports a substantial proportion of the wetland habitat resources of the region OR it is important for the survival of a rare or endangered species or community OR it has several aspects of local importance |
| Low | The estuary supports little wetland habitat and contains no outstanding feature |
| Moderate | The estuary is of local importance in that it contains extensive wetland habitat resources, represents range limits of a species, contains rare or endangered species or unusual communities or is a convenient educational or research site |
| Ecological Status | |
| Considerably affected | Physical and biological attributes highly modified |
| Moderately affected | Biota remains healthy but significantly changed from the natural condition |
| Slightly affected | Small changes noted but the ecology appears to be unaffected |
| Unaffected | Preserved in natural condition |
| Fisheries Threat | |
| None | No potential threat can be identified or current monitoring or protective measures are adequate to contain identified threats |
| Perveived | A possible cause of degradation of fisheries or conservation values has been identified and requires research or monitoring to assess its effects |
| Real | A situation exists, or is planned, that has been proven to cause degradation of fisheries or conservation values and would require immediate action to reduce or reverse its effect |
| Fisheries Value | |
| High | Of outstanding regional significance as a fishing ground for commercial and/or amateur fishermen or as adult or juvenile habitat necessary for maintaining existing or potential fisheries |
| Low | Contains little habitat of fisheries significance and, consequently is rarely fished |
| Moderate | Regularly fished by amateur and/or commercial fishermen, a small component of a regionally important fishery or contains habitat important for the maintenance of local fisheries |
| Morpho-hydrological Category | |
| MCBBE | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - present |
| MCBBN | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| MCBCE | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - present |
| MCBCN | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching ? branched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| MCUBE | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - present |
| MCUBN | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| MCUCE | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - present |
| MCUCN | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| MUBBE | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - present |
| MUBBN | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| MUBCE | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - present |
| MUBCN | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| MUUBE | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - present |
| MUUBN | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| MUUCE | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - present |
| MUUCN | Mouth type - multiple entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| SCBBE | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - present |
| SCBBN | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| SCBCE | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - present |
| SCBCN | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| SCUBE | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - present |
| SCUBN | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| SCUCE | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - present |
| SCUCN | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - constricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| SUBBE | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type-Bay; Off-channel embayment - present |
| SUBBN | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - Bay; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| SUBCE | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - present |
| SUBCN | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - branched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| SUUBE | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - present |
| SUUBN | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - bay; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| SUUCE | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - present |
| SUUCN | Mouth type - Single entry; Mouth Constriction - unconstricted; Waterbody branching - unbranched; Waterbody type - channel; Off-channel embayment - absent |
| Other | |
| ACIUCN 1986 Geographic Region | Geographic region derived by The Australian Committee for International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources 1986 |
| Amenities Value | Subjective assessment of amenity value |
| Area of Intertidal Flats | Area of intertidal sand and mud flats with the estuary in km2 |
| Area of Mangrove | Area of mangrove stands within the estuary in km2 |
| Area of Open Water | Area of open waters within the estuary in km2 |
| Area of Saltmarsh | Area of saltmarsh within the estuary in km2 |
| Area of Seagrass | Area of seagrass within the estuary in km2 |
| BOM 1981 Climatic Area | Climatic region of the estuary derived by Bureau of Meteorology 1981 |
| BOM 1998 Climatic Area | Climatic region of the estuary derived by Bureau of Meteorology 1998 |
| BOM 1998R2 Climatic Area | Climatic classification of the estuary derived by Bureau of Meteorology 1998 |
| Catchment Area | Area of catchment draining into the estuary in km2 |
| Conservation Threat | Subjective assessment of conservation threats |
| Conservation Value | Subjective assessment of conservation value |
| Ecological Status | Subjective assessment of ecological status |
| Estuary Constriction | The constriction of the mouth of an estuary, either constricted or unconstricted |
| Fisheries Value | Subjective assessment of fisheries value |
| Flooding Frequency | Subjective assessment of flood frequency |
| Fluvial Flow Category | Indicates the category of fluvial flow |
| Fluvial Flow Rating | Derived from the volume of fresh water draining to the river, is a function of catchment area, rainfall and runoff coefficient. Use of fluvial flow thus integrates these three factors into a single variable. Division by open water area of an estuary allows a rough standardisation of freshwater flow per unit of estuary area over a range of estuary sizes. This continuous function is calculated as [catchment area * mean annual rainfall * runoff coefficient] divided by open water area |
| Form of Waterbody | Indicates whether the waterbody form has branched or unbranched main drainage lines |
| Interim Biogeographic Region | Interim Biogeographic region of the estuary. See Thackway and Cresswell, 1995 |
| Interim Marine and Coastal Region | Interim Marine and Coastal region of the estuary. See IMCRATG 1997 |
| Intertidal Proportion | Intertidal proportion "ITP" has a range of 0 to 1. It represents the proportion of the estuary that is subject to inundation by tides and is calculated by dividing the area between low and high tide by the total area of the estuary |
| Intertidal Proportion Category | Indicates the category of intertidal proportion |
| Land is Locked | The status of the land - either unlocked, locked, or uncertain |
| Landuse | Percentage of the catchment area cleared of native vegetation for cultivation, pasture, urban or industrial purposes |
| Mangrove Cover | Subjective assessment of mangrove cover |
| Morpho-hydrological Category | Morpho-hydrological categorisation of Australian estuaries based on the estuary mouth type, mouth constriction, waterbody branching, waterbody type, and any off channel embayments |
| Off Channel Embayment | Indicates the presence or absence of off-channel embayments |
| Proportion of Seagrass | Percentage of seagrass cover in an estuary |
| Salt Marsh Cover | Subjective assessment of saltmarsh cover |
| Seagrass Cover | Subjective assessment of seagrass cover |
| Tidal Range Category | Indicates the tidal range of an estuary |
| Type of Estuary Mouth | The type of mouth of the estuary, either single or multiple |
| Type of Terminal Drainage Lines | Indicates the type of terminal drainage lines "TDL" of the estuary |
| Type of Waterbody | Indicates whether the waterbody type of the estuary is a channel or bay main drainage line |
| Water Quality Assessment | Subjective assessment of water quality |
