Beach Surveys and Data Assessment, Mackay Region COPE Report – Blacks Beach Coastal Impacts Unit 2015 Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation Prepared by GHD Pty Ltd (Reference 4128646) on behalf of: Coastal Impacts Unit Science Delivery Division Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation PO Box 5078 Brisbane QLD 4001 © The State of Queensland (Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation) 2015 The Queensland Government supports and encourages the dissemination and exchange of its information. The copyright in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY) licence Under this licence you are free, without having to seek permission from DSITI, to use this publication in accordance with the licence terms. You must keep intact the copyright notice and attribute the State of Queensland, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation as the source of the publication. For more information on this licence visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en Disclaimer This document has been prepared with all due diligence and care, based on the best available information at the time of publication. The department holds no responsibility for any errors or omissions within this document. Any decisions made by other parties based on this document are solely the responsibility of those parties. Information contained in this document is from a number of sources and, as such, does not necessarily represent government or departmental policy. If you need to access this document in a language other than English, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask them to telephone Library Services on +61 7 3170 5725 Acknowledgements This report has been prepared by the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation. Acknowledgement is made of all of the identified volunteers that contributed their time and effort in collecting the COPE data. Front Cover Photo: Blacks Beach November 1994 looking North Source: BPA file April 2015 COPE Report – Blacks Beach Contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Preamble 1 1.2 The Program 2 1.3 Site Selection 2 1.4 Instruments 2 1.5 Observers 2 1.6 Accuracy 3 1.7 Presentation of Data 3 2 Station Particulars ................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Location 4 2.2 Observers 4 2.3 Reports from Beach Conservation 5 2.4 Site History 5 2.5 Observed Parameters 7 2.6 Tidal Information 8 2.7 Beach Description 9 2.8 Meteorological Events 10 2.9 Station Supervision 11 3 Data ........................................................................................................................................ 12 3.1 General 12 3.2 Wind 12 3.3 Waves 12 3.4 Longshore Currents 14 3.5 Beach Profile Parameters 14 3.6 Monthly Beach Profiles 14 3.7 Sand Sample Particle Size Distribution 14 4 References ............................................................................................................................. 15 5 Tabular Results ..................................................................................................................... 16 6 Data Presentation .................................................................................................................. 19 Appendix A – Cope Instructions ................................................................................................ 91 i Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation Appendix B – Historical Photographs ....................................................................................... 96 List of tables Table 1 Summary of Blacks beach observers ............................................................................ 5 Table 2 Tidal planes .................................................................................................................. 8 Table 3 Sector directions ( Magnetic North) ............................................................................ 13 Table 4 Monthly and annual – mean wave height/mean wave period and wave direction occurrences. Blacks Beach. Year 1976 ......................................................................................... 16 Table 5 Monthly and annual – mean wave height/mean wave period and wave direction occurrences. Blacks Beach. Year 1977 ......................................................................................... 16 Table 6 Monthly and annual – mean wave height/mean wave period and wave direction occurrences. Blacks Beach. Year 1979 ......................................................................................... 16 Table 7 Monthly and annual – mean wave height/mean wave period and wave direction occurrences. Blacks Beach. Year 1982 ......................................................................................... 17 Table 8 Monthly and annual – mean wave height/mean wave period and wave direction occurrences. Blacks Beach. Year 1983 ......................................................................................... 17 Table 9 Monthly and annual – mean wave height/mean wave period and wave direction occurrences. Blacks Beach. Year 1984 ......................................................................................... 17 Table 10 Monthly and annual – mean wave height/mean wave period and wave direction occurrences. Blacks Beach. Year 1991 ......................................................................................... 18 Table 11 Amendments to Data ................................................................................................... 89 List of figures Figure 1 COPE observers at Blacks Beach, R. and W. Incledon taking measurements at the COPE reference pole in April 1979. ................................................................................................ 4 Figure 2 Blacks beach COPE pole, 7 July 1995 .......................................................................... 6 Figure 3 Blacks Beach, June 1977 – Looking north ................................................................... 10 Figure 4 Blacks Beach, June 1977 – Looking south .................................................................. 10 Figure 5 Sector Distribution (Magnetic North) ............................................................................ 13 Figure 6 Blacks Beach COPE Site Plan .................................................................................... 20 Figure 7 Blacks Beach COPE Locality Plan .............................................................................. 21 Figure 8 COPE Recording Sheet – Old Format, Page 1 ............................................................ 22 Figure 9 COPE Recording Sheet – Old Format, Page 2 ............................................................ 23 Figure 10 COPE Recording Sheet – New Format, Page 1 ....................................................... 24 ii COPE Report – Blacks Beach Figure 11 COPE Recording Sheet – New Format, Page 2 ....................................................... 25 Figure 12 Wind Rose Diagram – Blacks Beach (Wind speed percentage occurrences) ........... 26 Figure 13 Wave height percentage exceedance ...................................................................... 27 Figure 14 Percentage occurrence of wave height Aug 1976 to Oct 1991 ................................. 28 Figure 15 Percentage occurrence of wave period Aug 1976 to Oct 1991 ................................. 28 Figure 16 Wave direction analysis – wave height vs occurrence Aug 1976 to Oct 1991 .......... 29 Figure 17 Wave direction analysis – wave period vs occurrence Aug 1976 to Oct 1991 .......... 29 Figure 18 Wave direction analysis – wave direction vs occurrence Aug 1976 to Oct 1991....... 30 Figure 19 Surf Zone Width - 1976 ............................................................................................ 31 Figure 20 Surf Zone Width - 1977 ............................................................................................ 32 Figure 21 Surf Zone Width - 1979 ............................................................................................ 33 Figure 22 Surf Zone Width - 1982 ............................................................................................ 34 Figure 23 Surf Zone Width - 1983 ............................................................................................ 35 Figure 24 Surf Zone Width - 1984 ............................................................................................ 36 Figure 25 Surf Zone Width - 1991 ............................................................................................ 37 Figure 26 Littoral Current Summary 1976 ................................................................................ 38 Figure 27 Littoral Current Summary 1977 ................................................................................ 39 Figure 28 Littoral Current Summary 1979 ................................................................................ 40 Figure 29 Littoral Current Summary 1982 ................................................................................ 41 Figure 30 Littoral Current Summary 1983 ................................................................................ 42 Figure 31 Littoral Current Summary 1984 ...............................................................................