Multiphase flow and transport in complex coastal wetland systems. Salt marshes play an essential role in maintaining Australia's coastal bio-diversity. They also function as barriers to fluxes of terrestrial pollutants to our coastal sea. Australia has a large number of salt marshes listed by the Ramsar Convention as coastal wetlands of international importance but many of them are subject to loss and degradation due to competing land uses. This project, examining in detail the flow and transpor ....Multiphase flow and transport in complex coastal wetland systems. Salt marshes play an essential role in maintaining Australia's coastal bio-diversity. They also function as barriers to fluxes of terrestrial pollutants to our coastal sea. Australia has a large number of salt marshes listed by the Ramsar Convention as coastal wetlands of international importance but many of them are subject to loss and degradation due to competing land uses. This project, examining in detail the flow and transport processes in marsh soils, will lead to (1) better understanding of the marsh's response to anthropogenic stress; and (2) improvement of strategies and methods for marsh wetland preservation and restoration.Read moreRead less
Water exchange and mixing at the aquifer-ocean interface. Submarine groundwater discharge (SGWD) has been identified by International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme as an important contamination source for coastal marine and estuarine environments. Nutrient input associated with SGWD is threatening the Great Barrier Reef. Water exchange driven by tides/waves at the shore contributes to SGWD significantly. However, no data of the water exchange rates exist. This project will measure time-varying g ....Water exchange and mixing at the aquifer-ocean interface. Submarine groundwater discharge (SGWD) has been identified by International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme as an important contamination source for coastal marine and estuarine environments. Nutrient input associated with SGWD is threatening the Great Barrier Reef. Water exchange driven by tides/waves at the shore contributes to SGWD significantly. However, no data of the water exchange rates exist. This project will measure time-varying groundwater flow and salinity distribution in the intertidal zone at two beaches to study near-shore water exchange and mixing. These unique data, providing basis for developing SGWD models, will improve the understanding and quantification of subsurface chemical fluxes to coastal waters.Read moreRead less
Tidal dynamics of a subterranean estuary: Processes and functions. Coastal environments and resources are of great significance for Australia economically and socially. Water pollution in many coastal areas is a serious environmental problem, threatening marine and estuarine ecosystems. High nutrient levels in coastal waters are causing alarming damage to the Great Barrier Reef. The proposed project investigates an important mechanism underlying the chemical transfer from the aquifer to the ocea ....Tidal dynamics of a subterranean estuary: Processes and functions. Coastal environments and resources are of great significance for Australia economically and socially. Water pollution in many coastal areas is a serious environmental problem, threatening marine and estuarine ecosystems. High nutrient levels in coastal waters are causing alarming damage to the Great Barrier Reef. The proposed project investigates an important mechanism underlying the chemical transfer from the aquifer to the ocean. It will provide better understanding of the pathway of land-derived nutrients and contaminants entering coastal waters, leading to (1) improvement of strategies for sustainable coastal resources management and development and (2) integration of upland and lowland catchments management.Read moreRead less
Efffective Management of Water Resources in Semiarid Regions Using Remote Sensing. Due to the vast expense and difficulties to access many areas from the ground, there is currently no effective system for assessing and managing water resources over many large semi-arid regions of the world. Through the study of two complementary Basins - The Murray and Lake Chad Basins - we propose a new approach based on satellite imagery to provide regular and detailed information on the state of our water res ....Efffective Management of Water Resources in Semiarid Regions Using Remote Sensing. Due to the vast expense and difficulties to access many areas from the ground, there is currently no effective system for assessing and managing water resources over many large semi-arid regions of the world. Through the study of two complementary Basins - The Murray and Lake Chad Basins - we propose a new approach based on satellite imagery to provide regular and detailed information on the state of our water resources in these areas. These innovative techniques will yield new information on critical water issues: water availability, salinity, groundwater/surface water interactions, climate and land use change impact. This project provides the basis for sustainable water use in regional Australia.Read moreRead less
Numerical modelling of coupled deformation, fluid flow and heat flow in modern and ancient rifts. Computer modeling of geological processes is increasingly important to mineral and hydrocarbon exploration, to hazard prediction (e.g. earthquakes) and to plate tectonics. Because it is difficult to understand geological processes from ancient rocks, we will use new computer models to study fluid circulation in an active volcanic fault zone in New Zealand, where many of the parameters obscured in an ....Numerical modelling of coupled deformation, fluid flow and heat flow in modern and ancient rifts. Computer modeling of geological processes is increasingly important to mineral and hydrocarbon exploration, to hazard prediction (e.g. earthquakes) and to plate tectonics. Because it is difficult to understand geological processes from ancient rocks, we will use new computer models to study fluid circulation in an active volcanic fault zone in New Zealand, where many of the parameters obscured in ancient rocks can be measured directly. We will determine processes of fluid migration that contributed to the formation of mineral deposits in ancient rocks, such as those mined in eastern Australia for gold. The project also has implications for discovery and development of energy resources including fossil fuels and geothermal waters.Read moreRead less
Submarine springs in the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon: the geological origin, physical properties and ecological significance of Wonky Holes. This project investigates submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. As groundwaters often contain high loads of nutrients and other pollutants, point source SGDs called Wonky Holes, reputedly common yet scientifically unexplored in the GBR or elsewhere, may represent a significant pathway for the land-sea flux of these mat ....Submarine springs in the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon: the geological origin, physical properties and ecological significance of Wonky Holes. This project investigates submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. As groundwaters often contain high loads of nutrients and other pollutants, point source SGDs called Wonky Holes, reputedly common yet scientifically unexplored in the GBR or elsewhere, may represent a significant pathway for the land-sea flux of these materials. This project will define the incidence and origin of Wonky Holes and determine the magnitude and physical and chemical properties of their discharge. These studies will advance our understanding of land-sea interactions, assist management of the GBR and improve regional hydrogeological models.Read moreRead less