What lies beneath: tapping into Australia's hidden waters
UNSW Sydney
Key Facts:It runs from our taps, keeps crops alive and rivers flowing – yet no one knows exactly how much groundwater we have, or how often it’s renewed. UNSW researchers are venturing underground to find out.
UNSW research is looking at when groundwater recharges, and how climate change is affecting that process.
Groundwater supplies the majority of Australia’s drinking and irrigation water, but scientists still don’t fully understand how rainfall translates into recharge below the surface – particularly as climate change shifts rainfall patterns toward fewer, more intense events.
Our combined engineering and science teams are tracking how water moves from the surface into aquifers – and also how disturbances like severe bushfire can fundamentally change that process.
Water is a limited resource, so what happens when it's 'out of sight, out of mind'? And are we overestimating the security of our underground water reserves?
“We’re tackling this big question of ‘how does water get underground – and how much rainfall is needed to replenish it? That’s not only poorly understood, it’s also hard to measure.”—UNSW Professor Andy Baker.
“This work can help people – decision makers, managers and, importantly, community – see that groundwater is not an endless backup. It is a system that depends on specific rainfall events, land use and long-term care.” —UNSW Associate Professor Marilu Melo Zurita.
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Melissa Lyne, UNSW news & content