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Annual Mean Precipitation ranges from moderate to very dry and Driest Quarter Precipitation ranges from wet to dry, both along an east-west gradient.
Mean annual runoff in the province is low to negligible.
Rainfall diminishes along an east-west gradient.
Rainfall erosivity is low.
The coolest mean monthly temperature is the lowest in Queensland. The hottest mean monthly temperatures range from cold to warm.
Cold minimum temperatures.
Strong east-west gradient in maximum temperatures.
Mean Annual Runoff in the province is low to negligible.
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Cracking clay soils, which has a low infiltration rate, are a feature of the Murray-Darling FBP. Cracks allow nutrients, water, and animals to enter the soil.
Only a small proportion of the province contains ridge top flat classes, with most of the province falling into either valley bottom flat or erosional flatness classes.
There is very little relief and floodplain depositional areas occupy much of the province.
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Most flow is related directly to flood flow from rainfall events with little base flow contribution.
Low base flow – 90% flood flow from rainfall.
Modelled pre-development data from 40 gauges within the Murray-Darling FBP were used for these analyses.
Results from other provinces are required for comparative purposes.
Flow is intermittent in the Murray-Darling province and no flow spells are an important feature of the hydrology.
No-flow spells occur all year round including wet season.
The mean rate of rise is approximately double the mean rate of fall.
Flow is seasonal with wet season Jan-May, dry season June-Dec.
Seasonal patterns have low repeatability between years so it can be wet when it is on average dry and dry when it is on average wet.
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In general turbidity in the province in high though it may be low in upland and headwater sites.
Light penetration of the water column or photic zone depth is shallow, reflecting the high turbidity of the system.
Rates of benthic metabolism are relatively low. On average the systems are net consumers of carbon (e.g. they have greater respiration than production).
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Convex and concave shaped banks are the most often present and most often dominant bank shape categories. All bank slope categories are present and all are the predominant category at some sites.
Riparian vegetation provides nutrients and debris input into stream, habitat, and bank stabilisation. Riparian shading is generally not significant as channels are wide. Riparian micro-climates may be important for adult flying stages of insects.
Edge and pool habitats are dominated by silt/clay and sand and have low substrate heterogeneity.
Larger rocks dominate riffles but substrate heterogeneity is low compared with other FBPs.
Large Woody Debris (LWD) and snags are conspicuous components of many rivers in the province.
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— Department of Environment and Resource Management
