QLD DNR LIBRARY r I1 1'11111111l l\lUlt\l\1111\111\n\ 111 15 3528 ical cyclone Nina r December 1992 BPA 34 Coastal Management Branch --- - 551.4 7022 EENSLAN D Conservation cyclone report no. 1 L VERNMENT QUE artment ISSN 1327-2837 RE 156 September 1996 1996 rironment Tropical cyclone Nina Tropical Cyclone Nina December 1992 December 1992 551.47022 QUE 1996 153528 L Report No. BPA 34 Coastal Management Branch Conservation cyclone report no. 1 Preface Contents This report is one of a series. It contains data collected by Introduction 2 the Beach Protection Authority over the period before, during and after the passage of tropical cyclone Nina in . Storm surge recording 2 December 1992. Other reports in the series are: L • Tropical cyclone Winifred Wave recording 2 • Tropical cyclone Charlie • Tropical cyclone Joy • Tropical cyclone Mark (in preparation) Coastal Observation Program - Engineering 2 L • Tropical cyclone Aivu (in preparation) • Tropical cyclone Fran (in preparation) Field inspections 2 • Tropical cyclone Roger (in preparation) • Tropical cyclone Rewa (in preparation) References 2 • Tropical cyclone Betsy (in preparation) List of figures 1 Cyclone track 2 Locations of water level recorders ........ 3 Weipa tide data and predictions 4 Cooktown tide data and predictions 5 Port Douglas tide data and predictions 6 Cairns tide data and predictions 7 Mourilyan tide data and predictions 8 Location of wave recording stations 9 Location of wave recording stations 1O Wei pa wave recording station - wave height and period parameters 11 Cairns wave recording station - wave height and period parameters 12 Location of COPE stations 13 Beach profiles - Newell Beach and L Port Douglas 14 Beach profiles - Oak Beach This report has been prepared by the Coastal Management Branch, Division of Conservation, Department of Environment on behaff of the Beach Protection Authority. While reasonable care and attention have been exercised in the collection, processing and compilation of the wave data included in this report, the accuracy and reliability of this information is not guaranteed in any way by the Beach Protection Authority. The Authority accepts no responsibility for the use of this information in any way. Beach Protection Authority. cl· Queensland Department of Environment, PO Box 155, BRISBANE ALBERT ST OLD 4002. IC> Copyright Queensland Government 1997. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of study. research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this report can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without having prior written permission. RE156July 1997 Tropical Cyclone Nina •Conservation cyclone report no. 1 •December 1992 •ISSN 1327-2837 Introduction Wave recording Tropical cyclone Nina formed in the Gulf of Carpentaria on Wave data were obtained from the Beach Protection 24 December 1992 out of a tropical depression in a position Authority's wave recording station at Weipa and Cairns. approximately 180km north-west of Weipa. The first tropical Figures 8 and 9 show the locations of the waverider buoys cyclone warning was issued by the Bureau of Meteorology and their recording stations. at 0515h (AES1) on 24 December 1992. At this time tropical cyclone Nina was rated as Category 1 (on a scale of 1 to 5), Each wave recording station consists of a waverider buoy with an estimated central pressure of 995Hpa. Tropical moored in an offshore location which transmits a continuous cyclone Nina progressed slowly along a south-easterly path 27MHz FM signal to an onshore receiving station consisting and intensified to be classified as Category 2 at 1700h of a Datawell DIWAR Waverider receiver/digitiser and (AES1) on 24 December 1992, with an estimated central personal computer. These wave recording stations allow pressure of 985HPa. Figure 1 shows the cyclone track. near real time access via the Public Switched Telephone Network, and throughout the course of the cyclone event, By 0700h (AES1) on 25 December 1992, tropical cyclone the wave recording equipment was switched to record Nina had intensified further to Category 3 with estimated data in bursts of approximately twenty-seven minutes at central pressure of 970HPa. For the next nine hours the half-hourly intervals. This facility was used during tropical cyclone drifted slowly southward in the vicinity of Cape cyclone Nina to monitor the incidence of heavy wave Keer-Weer (south of Aurukun) until crossing the coast at conditions along the exposed sections of the Queensland 2300h (AES1) on 25 December 1992. At this time the coastline. cyclone was rated as Category 2, with an estimated central pressure of 980HPa. Wave height and period data for the period 23-30 December 1992 are shown in figures 10 and 11 Tropical cyclone Nina proceeded to weaken further as it for the wave recording stations at Weipa and Cairns. moved north-east across the Cape York Peninsula until The wave parameters, derived from a zero upcrossing time being downgraded into a tropical depression at 2000h domain analysis and spectral analysis, are as follows: (AES1) on 28 December 1992. The tropical depression • Hsig: the average height of the highest one third waves crossed the east coast near Cape Sidmouth at 2300h in a record. (AES1) 28 December 1992 and moved into the Coral Sea. • Hmax: the highest individual wave in a record. Tropical cyclone Nina reformed into a weak tropical • Tz: the average period of all waves in a record. cyclone, rated as Category 1 at 1700h (AES1) on 28 • Tpeak: the wave period corresponding to the peak of December 1992 in a position approximately 200km north­ the spectrum. east of Cape Melville. The cyclone then moved on a south­ easterly path away from the Queensland coast. During tropical cyclone Nina, a peak Hsig of 2.58 metres was measured at 21 OOh (AES1) on 24 December 1992 Storm surge recording and a peak Hmax of 3.95 metres was measured at 0900h Water level data were obtained from the Beach Protection (AES1) on 25 December 1992 at the Weipa wave recording Authority's storm surge tide recorders at Weipa, Cooktown, station. Cairns and Mourilyan. Figure 2 shows the locations of the Department of Transport's tide recorders and the Beach Coastal Observation Program - Protection Authority's storm surge tide recorders. Engineering Volunteer observers involved with the Beach Protection The water level data were recorded at ten-minute intervals Authority's Coastal Observation Program - Engineering on non-volatile memory devices and transferred to the (COPE) were requested to carry out beach profile Principal Tides Officer, Department of Transport for analysis measurements directly following the passage of the and verification. Figures 3, 4, 6 and 7 show measured water cyclone, wherever possible. These profiles were then levels, predicted tides and the residual levels for these plotted and compared with previous data to assess the recorders. It should be noted that the measured water level extent of beach change. Additional information obtained data are represented as hourly values which have been from the COPE observers in the aftermath of tropical determined from the ten-minute records. cyclone Nina relating to beach conditions proved invaluable to Beach Protection Authority officers in the assessment of The storm surge tide recording system also allows local conditions. interrogation via the Public Switched Telephone Network for real time access during cyclone events. This facility was Figure 12 shows the locations of COPE stations in the used during the passage of tropical cyclone Nina to monitor Douglas Shire between Newell Beach and Oak Beach. As for storm surge. these COPE stations are over 350km south of the cyclone track, no significant impact from the tropical cyclone Nina Water level data from the Department of Transport's tide was recorded. Plotted profiles from these stations are recorder at Port Douglas have also been obtained to shown in figures 13 and 14. examine the storm surge at this site. Figure 5 shows the measured water levels, predicted tides and residual levels Field inspections for this tide gauge. Officers from the Beach Protection Authority did not From the data obtained, a peak storm surge of 0.68 metres undertake field inspections of coastal areas following the was recorded at Weipa storm surge recorder at 0700h passage of tropical cyclone Nina. (AES1) on 25 December 1992. The peak water level of 3.22 metres occurred at 1700h (AES1) on 26 December 1992. References As tropical cyclone Nina crossed the coast 170km south of 1 Monthly Weather Review Queensland December 1992, Weipa, the largest surge would be expected to occur close Bureau of Meteorology. to where the eye of the cyclone crossed the coast. 2 Queensland Official Tide Tables 1992, Queensland Department of Transport. 2 Tropical Cyclone Nina • Conservation cyclone report no. 1 •December 1992 ·ISSN 1327-2837 L L 'Solomon . ~slands 1o•s 0211100 L l 1s·s New 2o·s ~_,..;;__.,4-.,..;........,...;....-.:.._,..;;__.,~,...:-..,...:...._.;;:.:::....--+-------1------"- Caledonia . l>••······· >•• : > .•...: .•. ..·.·.: M•ckoy ··· 1... .·.: ·.· .. ·.:· "._·.:·.·.. ·.:·.·.. ·.:-_· ._-.:·.· .. ·.:· · .-.:·--- . ~O~~h~~p .t~n .... I·.· .. ·.· .. ·.·.· ·. ·.. ·.·.. ·. ·.. ·.· ... ·. · ·. ·.. ·.· .. ·.· .. ·.· .. f.· ... r.· . ·. ·... ·.. ·. ·.. ·. ·.. ·. ·.. ·. ·. ·. .·. ·.. ·. ·.. ·. ·. ·eundaberg . 2s·s 1·.· .. ·. ·.. ·. ..... ·..... ·.·· ·.· .. ·. ·. · ·. L L· .:...:.