Water Cycle
Spatial modelling of the water cycle, with the capacity to consider land cover and land use effects on the water balance, was recognised as being critical to strategic planning at catchment to River Basin scales. A BRS review of the development and application of water balance models in Australia (PDF - 520kb) identified more than 20 models that have been used in the last three to four decades.
A steady-state modelling approach used previously by CSIRO Land and Water Division and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Division was considered most appropriate for this work. The model estimates average annual evapotranspiration, runoff, deep drainage, and irrigation demand by 1 kilometre pixel over the Australian continent and its near islands. A full description of the modelling approach is available here (PDF - 901kb).