Overview

This stochastic climate dataset relates to the Lower North Coast and Hunter region.

The stochastic data are 10,000-year daily datasets of rainfall and potential evapotranspiration generated using observed datasets combined with palaeo-climatic data. This work has been undertaken by researchers at the University of Adelaide and the University of Newcastle and has been used in Regional Water Strategies.

This dataset is made available as open data to support transparency, research, planning and informed decision-making by all interested users.

Dataset Contents

Climate data are supplied as individual ZIP files, each clearly labelled by Station ID and climate variable. When accessed through the WaterInfo web portal, the file description identifies the station name and confirms inclusion of metadata and quality assurance documents.

Each ZIP file contains:

1. A .csv file of daily climate data covering 10,000 years (format: date, data; filename begins with the Station ID);
2. A metadata PDF describing the geographic location of the climate station, data type, period of observed data used for generating stochastic data, and a location map; and
3. A quality assurance PDF.

The climate variables include one or more of the following: rainfall, evapotranspiration (Mwet: Morton’s wet area potential evapotranspiration, Mlake: Morton’s lake evaporation, Mpot: Morton’s point potential evapotranspiration, Penman-Monteith reference evapotranspiration (FAO56)), Maximum temperature, Minimum temperature.

Within each ZIP file name, the number shown (for example, 59093_Rain.zip) represents the Station ID Number (for example, Station 59093), while the suffix (such as Rain, Mwet, Mlake, Mpot or FAO56) identifies the climate variable contained in the file.

Data Access and Download

Data for this asset are accessed via the WaterInfo web portal. Users are required to create a free account prior to download. This helps us maintain system security, protect data integrity, and ensure the ongoing availability of the service for all users.

To obtain the data:

1. Click the WaterInfo URL provided within this asset.
2. You will be redirected to the WaterInfo login page.
3. If you are a new user, create a free account (registration is required).
4. Once logged in, you may browse the dataset folder and download files.

Download options:

• Option 1: Click Download at the end of any individual row to download a single file.
• Option 2: Select multiple files using the checkboxes and click Download Selected.
• Option 3: Use Select All and then click Download Selected to download all files at once.

Note: If you would like to ask a question, make any suggestions, or tell us how you are using this dataset, please visit the NSW Water Hub which has an online forum you can join.