This report describes the results of an extended national field spectroscopy campaign designed to validate the Landsat 8 and Sentinel 2 Analysis Ready Data (ARD) surface reflectance (SR) products generated by Digital Earth Australia. Field spectral data from 55 overpass coincident field campaigns have been processed to match the ARD surface reflectances. The results suggest the Landsat 8 SR is validated to within 10%, the Sentinel 2A SR is validated to within 6.5% and Sentinel 2B is validated to within 6.8% . Overall combined Sentinel 2A and 2B are validated within 6.6% and the SR for all three ARD products are validated to within 7.7%.

A series of short video clips illustrating how to use the Community and Education Data Portal (https://portal.ga.gov.au/persona/education). The Community and Education data portal is one of many data delivery portals available from Geoscience Australia, giving users access to a wealth of useful data and tools. It has been designed specifically for non-technical users, so that general community members, including educators, can access themed surface and subsurface datasets or images with enhanced capabilities including 3D visualisation, and online analysis tools. The User Guide Video complements the help menu in the portal. The User guide is broken into a series of topics 1. Introduction 2. Toolbar 3. Map layers 4. Multiple Layers 5. Background Layers and Sharing 6. 3D Layers 7. Tools 8. Custom Layers The step by step guides were produced by James Cropper.

Background Wetlands provide a wide range of ecosystem services including improving water quality, carbon sequestration, as well as providing habitat for fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds. Managing wetlands in Australia is challenging due to competing pressures for water availability and highly variable climatic settings. The Wetlands Insight Tool (Ramsar Wetlands) has been developed to provide catchment managers, environmental water holders, andwetlands scientists a consistent historical baseline of wetlands dynamics from 1987 onwards. The Wetlands Insight Tool (Ramsar Wetlands) is available online through the DEA Mapswebsite. The Ramsar Wetlands of Australia Dataset is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence. We created individual wetland polygons from the multipart Ramsar polygons in the dataset. The 6 Australian Ramsar Sites in external territories are excluded as they are outside of Australia’s satellite data footprint. What this product offers The Wetlands Insight Tool (Ramsar Wetlands) summarises how the amount of water, green vegetation, dry vegetation and bare soil varies over time within eachwetland boundary.It provides the user with the ability to compare how the wetland is behaving now with how it has behaved in the past. This allows users to identify how changes in water availability have affected the wetland.It achieves this bypresentinga combined view of Water Observations from Space (DEA Water Observations), Tasseled Cap Wetness (DEA Wetness Percentiles) and Fractional Cover (DEA Fractional Cover) measurements from the Landsat series of satellites, summarised as a stacked line plot to show how that wetlandhas changed over time.

This flythrough highlights shallow and mesophotic seabed environments of Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs, located within the Lord Howe Marine Park. These reefs are unique because they are the southern-most platform reefs in the world and host a diverse range of tropical, sub-tropical and temperate marine species. High-resolution multibeam bathymetry data and seafloor imagery used in this flythrough was acquired by the Marine Biodiversity Hub, during the period 31 January to 6 February 2020 on board the Australian Maritime College vessel, TV Bluefin. Participating agencies included Geoscience Australia, the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (University of Tasmania), the Australian Centre for Field Robotics (University of Sydney) through their involvement with the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), NSW Department of Primary Industries and Parks Australia. The specific aim of the survey was to fill knowledge gaps on the distribution, extent and structure of seabed habitats and associated sessile and mobile fauna in the lagoon and mesophotic shelves of Elizabeth (Recreational Use Zone) and Middleton (National Park Zone) Reefs, using a suite of national standard survey tools and best practice sampling procedures. Data acquisition for the project included seabed mapping using multibeam sonar (Kongsberg EM 2040C HD, 300 kHz), seabed imagery acquisition by Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV Sirius and AUV Nimbus), sediment samples, and imagery of demersal fish communities by stereo-baited remote underwater videos (stereo-BRUVs). This work was undertaken by the Marine Biodiversity Hub, a collaborative partnership supported through funding from the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program (NESP), and Parks Australia. AUV data was sourced from Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) – IMOS is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). It is operated by a consortium of institutions as an unincorporated joint venture, with the University of Tasmania as Lead Agent. This multimedia product is published with the permission of the CEO, Geoscience Australia.

The Australian Capital Territory Geochemical Urban Mapping (ACTGUM) project, a collaboration between the National Centre for Forensic Studies at the University of Canberra, Geoscience Australia (GA) and the Australian Federal Police, aims to enable high-quality research investigating the provenancing of topsoil in a law enforcement/intelligence context. Although many geochemical soil surveys already exist, these are typically developed primarily for exploration and related earth sciences, limiting their use for forensic applications that have specific, and often differing requirements (e.g. sampling density, sampling medium and depth, and data treatment). An important part of the project is the development of a high quality, internally consistent, geochemical dataset of topsoil, covering a model area of interest at a relatively high sampling density. Initiated in 2017, a soil geochemical survey has been completed, covering the urban and surrounding suburban areas of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), in inland southeastern Australia. At present, a total of 823 topsoil samples (including field replicate samples at 65 sites) have been collected from 686 sites, including 6 resampled sites, which together cover over 650 km2 at the average sample density of 1 site per 1 km2. Samples were collected from urban and suburban public parks, nature reserves, roadside verges, nature strips, and private agricultural land. Obvious areas of anthropogenically introduced, modified or contaminated soils were avoided. At each site, a 1 – 2 kg composite of five subsamples taken from the corners and centre of a 1m x 1m area at a depth interval of 0 – 5 cm was collected, after removal of surface vegetation. All composite samples were subsequently air dried, homogenised and split into two halves. One half was set aside for archiving. The remainder was dry sieved to <75 μm, consistent with existing geochemical surveys in Australia, including the GA National Geochemical Survey of Australia and GA Northern Australian Geochemical Survey. Any excess sample/fraction was kept for potential future use. All subsequent analytical protocols were applied to the <75 μm fraction, and those performed at the GA inorganic laboratory include: (1) X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of fused beads and loss on ignition (LOI) (total geochemistry); and (2) Inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis of total digestions of fused bead fragments (total geochemistry). Additional and complimentary measurements have been completed elsewhere, including magnetic susceptibility, ICP-MS analysis of aqua regia digests, Munsell soil colour, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. These measurements have been discussed elsewhere and/or will be published separately. In the present project manual, we describe the: (1) The synopsis underpinning the broader project and determination of sampling sites; and (2) Detailed protocols for sample collection, preparation and analysis of total element content. Release and interpretation of the project dataset, quality assessments and geochemical maps will be published separately.

The values and distribution patterns of the strontium (Sr) isotope ratio 87Sr/86Sr in Earth surface materials is of use in the geological, environmental and social sciences. Ultimately, the 87Sr/86Sr ratio of any mineral or biological material reflects its value in the rock that is the parent material to the local soil and everything that lives in and on it. In Australia, there are few large-scale surveys of 87Sr/86Sr available, and here we report on a new, low-density dataset using 112 catchment outlet (floodplain) sediment samples covering 529,000 km2 of inland southeastern Australia (South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria). The coarse (<2 mm) fraction of bottom sediment samples (depth ~0.6-0.8 m) from the National Geochemical Survey of Australia were fully digested before Sr separation by chromatography and 87Sr/86Sr determination by multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The results show a wide range of 87Sr/86Sr values from a minimum of 0.7089 to a maximum of 0.7511 (range 0.0422). The median 87Sr/86Sr (± robust standard deviation) is 0.7199 (± 0.0112), and the mean (± standard deviation) is 0.7220 (± 0.0106). The spatial patterns of the Sr isoscape observed are described and attributed to various geological sources and processes. Of note are the elevated (radiogenic) values (≥~0.7270; top quartile) contributed by (1) the Palaeozoic sedimentary country rock and (mostly felsic) igneous intrusions of the Lachlan geological region to the east of the study area; (2) the Palaeoproterozoic metamorphic rocks of the central Broken Hill region; both these sources contribute fluvial sediments into the study area; and (3) the Proterozoic to Palaeozoic rocks of the Kanmantoo, Adelaide, Gawler and Painter geological regions to the west of the area; these sources contribute radiogenic material to the region mostly by aeolian processes. Regions of low 87Sr/86Sr (≤~0.7130; bottom quartile) belong mainly to (1) a few central Murray Basin catchments; (2) some Darling Basin catchments in the northeast; and (3) a few Eromanga geological region-influenced catchments in the northwest of the study area. The new spatial dataset is publicly available through the Geoscience Australia portal (https://portal.ga.gov.au/restore/cd686f2d-c87b-41b8-8c4b-ca8af531ae7e).

<p>This package contains airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data from the "SkyTEM helicopter EM Howard East region" survey which was flown over Howard East region, Northern Territory during July - August 2017. The area is comprised of 2073.6 line kilometres in total. <p>The aim of the survey is to provide at a reconnaissance scale: <p>a) trends in regolith thickness and variability <p>b) variations in bedrock conductivity <p>c) conductivity of key bedrock (lithology related) conductive units under cover <p>d) the groundwater resource potential of the region <p>This report lists the SkyTEM system information and specifications relevant for this survey, and describes the processing carried out on the data. <p>Geoscience Australia commissioned the survey as part of the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) program. The EFTF program is led by Geoscience Australia (GA), in collaboration with the Geological Surveys of the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, and is investigating the potential mineral, energy and groundwater resources in northern Australia and South Australia. The EFTF is a four-year $100.5 million investment by the Australian Government in driving the next generation of resource discoveries in northern Australia, boosting economic development across this region (https://www.ga.gov.au/eftf).

Geoscience Australia and its predecessors have analysed the hydrochemistry of water sampled from bores, surface features, rainwater and core samples (pore water). Samples have been collected during drilling or monitoring projects, including Exploring for the Future (EFTF). The hydrochemistry database includes physical-chemical parameters (EC, pH, redox potential, dissolved oxygen), major and minor ions, trace elements, isotopes and nutrients. The resource is accessible via the Geoscience Australia Portal <a href="https://portal.ga.gov.au/">(https://portal.ga.gov.au/)</a>

The discovery of strategically located salt structures, which meet the requirements for geological storage of hydrogen, is crucial to meeting Australia’s ambitions to become a major hydrogen producer, user and exporter. The use of the AusAEM airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey’s conductivity sections, integrated with multidisciplinary geoscientific datasets, provides an excellent tool for investigating the near-surface effects of salt-related structures, and contributes to assessment of their potential for underground geological hydrogen storage. Currently known salt in the Canning Basin includes the Mallowa and Minjoo salt units. The Mallowa Salt is 600-800 m thick over an area of 150 × 200 km, where it lies within the depth range prospective for hydrogen storage (500-1800 m below surface), whereas the underlying Minjoo Salt is generally less than 100 m thick within its much smaller prospective depth zone. The modelled AEM sections penetrate to ~500 m from the surface, however, the salt rarely reaches this level. We therefore investigate the shallow stratigraphy of the AEM sections for evidence of the presence of underlying salt or for the influence of salt movement evident by disruption of near-surface electrically conductive horizons. These horizons occur in several stratigraphic units, mainly of Carboniferous to Cretaceous age. Only a few examples of localised folding/faulting have been noted in the shallow conductive stratigraphy that have potentially formed above isolated salt domes. Distinct zones of disruption within the shallow conductive stratigraphy generally occur along the margins of the present-day salt depocentre, resulting from dissolution and movement of salt during several stages. This study demonstrates the potential AEM has to assist in mapping salt-related structures, with implications for geological storage of hydrogen. In addition, this study produces a regional near-surface multilayered chronostratigraphic interpretation, which contributes to constructing a 3D national geological architecture, in support of environmental management, hazard mapping and resource exploration. <b>Citation: </b>Connors K. A., Wong S. C. T., Vilhena J. F. M., Rees S. W. & Feitz A. J., 2022. Canning Basin AusAEM interpretation: multilayered chronostratigraphic mapping and investigating hydrogen storage potential. In: Czarnota, K (ed.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/146376

The Exploring for the Future program Showcase 2022 was held on 8-10 August 2022. Day 2 (9th August) included talks on two themes moderated by Marina Costelloe. Data and toolbox theme: - Data acquisition progress - Dr Laura Gow - Quantitative tool development: HiQGA.jl and HiPerSeis - Dr Anandaroop Ray - Data delivery advances: Underpinned by careful data curation - Mark Webster Geology theme: - Mapping Australia's geology: From the surface down to great depths - Dr Marie-Aude Bonnardot - Towards a national understanding of Groundwater - Dr Hashim Carey - Uncovering buried frontiers: Tennant Creek to Mount Isa - Anthony Schofield and Dr Chris Carson - Lithospheric characterisation: Mapping the depths of the Australian tectonic plate - Dr Marcus Haynes You can access the recording of the talks from YouTube here: Showcase Day 2 – Part 1 https://youtu.be/US6C-xzMsnI Showcase Day 2 – Part 2 https://youtu.be/ILRLXbQNnic