Hydrologic Reference Stations
Frequently Asked Questions
Before you spend time writing us an email, you might find your question has already been answered. Look at the list below to find out. If you still want more information, please use the feedback page.
- What is a hydrologic reference station?
A hydrologic reference station is located in an unregulated catchment with minimal land-use change upstream. It has a long high-quality streamflow record (greater than 30 years) with frequently verified rating tables. The gauge has been well maintained.
- Can I download data?
Streamflow data (daily, monthly, seasonal and annual), streamflow anomaly analysis and site information are available to download for each station on the snapshot, data explorer, trend explorer and data download pages.
- How do I search for sites?
Visit the snapshot page to search for stations by river basin or region.
- How were the stations selected for inclusion into the network?
The site selection guidelines are outlined in SKM (2010). The guidelines were adapted and applied to selected gauging stations from every river basin in Australia. Visit the Station Selection Guidelines page for more information.
- Who do I contact for more information on the Australian Network of Hydrologic Reference Stations?
Please fill out our feedback form and your query will be forwarded to a member of the Extended Hydrological Prediction team.
- What time-series data analysis method was used to identify trends and variability?
The Mann-Kendall test was used to detect trends in the time series and the DF CUSUM test was used to detect the year of any step change. The Rank-sum test was applied to detect changes in the median of the time-series before and after the step change. Please see the Analytical Methodology page for a summary of the method and its application. Further information is contained in Turner et al (2012).
- Are these reference stations included in the High-quality climate site network?
The Australian Network of Hydrologic Reference Stations (HRS) and the High Quality Climate station network are two different networks. The HRS presented in this web portal focuses on the status and trends of streamflow across Australia. The high-quality climate network includes the status and trends of rainfall and temperature data across Australia.
- How often is the web portal updated?
The web portal will be monitored and any problems identified by users will be fixed as they are found. The reference stations included in the network will be reviewed and updated every two years, associated with an updated analysis. The data information for each station will be updated as new information becomes available.
