Mangrove Cove

Delta
Mangrove Cove Management Plan
5.2.1 Climate, geology and soils
The climate on the Northern Adelaide Plains is described as Mediterranean, with cold, wet
winters and hot dry summers. The nearest, and most similar, weather station is located in the
extratidal areas at the Dry Creek Saltfields. The Dry Creek Saltfields’ weather station records
an average of 420 mm of rain annually. This rainfall mainly occurs between May and
September. Strong south-westerly winds regularly occur during autumn and spring, with hot
northerly winds often occurring during summer. In winter a light northerly breeze blows in
the early mornings. Lightning storms occasionally occur through out the year, but with higher
intensity in mid to late spring.
Table 1 - Weather details
Annual
Weather Aspect Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Annual
Total
Daily
Average
Av Monthly Rain
(56 years)(mm)
19.3 20.8 20.7 36.9 53.9 52.7 57.1 48.7 22.6 40.4 23.7 23.6 420.4
Av Daily Maximum Temp
(10 yrs) ( o C)
26.0 27.8 26.1 21.6 18.5 15.6 14.5 15.5 17.9 20.9 23.6 25.6 21.1
Av Daily Minimum Temp
(10 yrs)( o C)
15.9 15.6 15.0 11.8 9.6 8.4 7.1 7.6 8.9 11.1 13.2 15.0 11.6
Av Daily Vapour Pressure
(10 yrs) (mm Hg)
12.0 11.3 10.7 9.7 9.1 8.4 7.9 8.1 8.6 8.9 10.1 11.2 9.7
Av Daily Wind Speed
(7 yrs) km/hr
5.7 4.3 4.0 3.5 3.4 4.1 4.4 4.7 5.6 5.7 5.1 5.3 4.6
Av Monthly Gross Evap.
(56 yrs) (mm)
302 217 217 133 82 56 56 76 109 164.9 274 273 1960
Av Monthly Nett Evap.
(56 yrs) (mm)
283 197 196 97 28 3 -1 27 86 125 250 2500 1539
According to the Soil Association Map of the Adelaide Region (Taylor, 1989) the underlying
soils in the area are historic estuarine muds and sands (layered sediments, being sands, silts,
clays and organic deposits of mixed marine and river origins) that form part of the Port River
estuary.
5.2.1.1 Evolution of the landscape
The Port River was quite narrow in its upper reaches and was edged with swamplands and
mangroves when Europeans first settled the area. Most land to the east and west of the river
was originally intertidal swamp, mudflats, small dunes (berms) and chenier ridges, which
have been raised and levelled with hydraulic fill or industrial dumping. Early diagram books
and field survey books at the Lands Titles Office show that much of the area south of the
current Jervois Bridge has been earmarked for reclamation at one stage or another in the
period between 1856 and the present. The southern area of Mangrove Cove is one of the few
areas along the inner Port that remains at natural surface level. This may be because it was the
location of a small creek that once drained Section 914 (west of the railway). It was also
useful as a drainage aid for any hydraulic filling that occurred on the northerly parts of the
site.
LMC-MCR-001-PC/RE Page 13