These notebooks document flow regime ananlysis undertaken by MDBA for the hydrology component of the 2020 Basin Plan Evaluation.
The analysis techniques developed were guided by the Basin Plan (in particular Schedule 7) and the need to inform the adaptive management and implementation of the Plan. In order to account for the highly variable climatic conditions of the Basin, all metrics (excluding baseflows) were measured as a function of catchment inflows. That is, the dynamics of the individual metrics are not being assessed but rather the dynamics of the relationship between the metric and catchment inflows.
There is a need to produce both quantitative and qualitative results in a transparent repeatable manner.
Qualitative data is often subjective; multiple people looking at the same data may assign a different result category. This issue is compounded by limited data, with a post basin plan sample size of only n=7, trends can be difficult to visually determine.
To achieve repeatable qualitative analysis, two sample statistical tests have been applied to categorise results for each metric into one of four categories present in Figure 5. The two samples are the baseline data (either modelled or observed) and the observed post-Basin Plan data.
In analysing the flow regime metrics, neutral language was chosen for condition assessment. Increased/Decreased was used in favour of Improved/Degraded to avoid a values assessment. An increase of transmissions of flow in a region where high levels of inter-valley trade and aggressive use of water in storage is taking place is not necessarily an improved result in the context of meeting Basin Plan objectives.
A multiple lines of evidence approach was used in the 2020 BPE to assess the complex adaptive system. In terms of hydrologic analysis, this means that various data sources and analysis techniques were utilised. Both modelled and observed flow data were considered, and analysis developed internally by the MDBA was supplemented by other relevant information, such as the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holders Long Term Intervention Monitoring hydrology analysis.
- Python 3.6
- Jupyter Notebook
- NumPy
- SciPy
- Pandas
- Internet conection to data.gov.au