
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lawrie, Ken 
A1  - Neumann, Narelle 
A1  - Brodie, Ross S. 
A1  - Symington, Neil 
A1  - Gow, Laura 
A1  - Halas, Larysa 
A1  - Harris-Pascal, Chris 
A1  - Tan, KokPiang 
A1  - Cathro, Donna 
A1  - Smith, Martin 
A1  - Buchanan, Sam 
A1  - Milligan, Peter 
A1  - Foo, Des Yin 
A1  - Wischusen, John 
A1  - Christensen, Niels B. 
A1  - Bennett, Don 
A1  - George, Richard 
T1  - The &#x2018;Exploring For The Future&#x2019; Groundwater Programme: A Multi-Physics, Inter-Disciplinary Systems Approach For De-Risking Investment in Agriculture in Northern Australia
JF  - ASEG Extended Abstracts
JO  - ASEG Extended Abstracts
Y1  - 2018
VL  - 2018
IS  - 1
SP  - 1
EP  - 9
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/ASEG2018ABW8_2H 
N2  - The Australian Government has recently provided Aus$100.5M to Geoscience Australia over 4 years (2016-2020) to manage the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) programme designed to increase investment in minerals, energy and groundwater resources, primarily in Northern Australia. The programme includes Aus$30.8M for groundwater-specific investigations, recognizing that there are major gaps in our knowledge of Northern Australia&#x2019;s groundwater systems and resources. The groundwater component of the EFTF programme is focused on addressing these knowledge gaps, with the aim of underpinning future opportunities for irrigated agriculture, mineral and energy development, and community water supply. The groundwater programme will include identification and assessment of potential groundwater resources and water banking options in priority regional areas, while also analyzing the salinity risk (including seawater intrusion). To rapidly map, characterise and assess regional groundwater systems and resources in the data-poor &#x2018;frontier&#x2019; areas of Northern Australia, a multi-physics, inter-disciplinary approach has been developed. The programme involves the initial use of temporal remote sensing &#x2018;data cube&#x2019; technologies for surface hydrology and landscape mapping, and acquisition of airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and Ground Magnetic Resonance (GMR) datasets. This provides a framework for targeted investigations including passive seismic, microgravity and GPR; borehole geophysics (Induction, gamma and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)); drilling and pump testing; hydrochemistry and geochronology (water, landscapes and geology); as well as soils, regolith and basin/bedrock geological, hydrogeological and structural mapping and modelling. This methodology has enabled rapid identification and assessment of potential groundwater resources, salinity and seawater intrusion hazards, and groundwater dependent ecosystems in several priority regions. 
ER  -

