Groundwater seepage and the water balance of a closed, freshwater, coastal dune lake: Lake Windermere, Jervis Bay

Abstract

Cyclical water-level fluctuations of up to 12 m in Lake Windermere are a response to climatic variations with a period of several years. An approximate water balance indicates that groundwater seepage is the most significant component (84%) of the outflow from the lake, whereas surface streams are the most significant component (89%) of the inflow to the lake. Groundwater flows westwards from the lake through a highly permeable Pleistocene sand aquifer.