Gulf of Carpentaria
- Both wave- and tide-dominated estuaries and some of Australia´s largest river deltas with extensive mangrove forests, saltflats, and low-lying coastal plains
- Very heavy rains in summer and almost no rain in winter
- Wave energy is generally very low due to the protected nature of the Gulf, and tidal currents are dampened by the broad, shallow continental shelf
- Coastline is mostly flat with few embayments or rocky headlands
- Most estuaries are near pristine due to minimal human development
- Eastern Gulf of Carpentaria estuaries differ from southern and western Gulf of Carpentaria estuaries in several ways as outlined below
East Gulf of Carpentaria
- Estuaries occupy an extensive low-gradient coastal plain and occur landward of a well-developed strandplain comprising multiple beach ridges and barriers
- Often an extensive low-energy central basin
- Waves can be a significant influence
Report for Kirke River, Queensland
South & West Gulf of Carpentaria
- Estuaries have extensive branching and multiple channels
- Marginal marine environments such as saltflats extend further inland than on the east Gulf of Carpentaria coast