With more sydneysiders choosing to live waterfront, the NSW government has increased funding into determining sea level increases along the NSW coast.  The installation – the first of two sites funded by the Office of Environment and Heritage also forms part of Land and Property Information’s CORSnet – NSW state-wide network.

Sea level rise along the NSW coast is now more accurately determined with the installation of a Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) at Fort Denison, in the heart of Sydney Harbour.

The CORS will allow Land and Property Information to closely monitor Fort Denison for any ground movement which could affect the sea level recordings.

Tide recordings at Fort Denison are among the longest in the southern hemisphere with the initial entry in the Tide Registers dated 11 May 1866.  As an island nation with some 85% of the population residing within 50 km of the coast, Australia faces significant threats into the future from projected sea level rise.

Further, with over 710,000 addresses within 3 km of the coast and below 6m elevation, a projected global rise in mean sea level of up to 100 cm over the 21st century is likely to have profound economic, social, environmental, and planning consequences.

In this context, it is becoming increasingly important to monitor trends emerging from local (regional) records to augment global average measurements and future projections.

For the latest map showing active and ‘soon to be active’ CORSnet-NSW sites around NSW, click on this link: http://www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/surveying/corsnet-nsw/ .