A major concern for regulators and the public with geological storage of CO2 is the potential for the migration of CO2 via a leaky fault or well into potable groundwater supplies. Given sufficient CO2, an immediate effect on groundwater would be a decrease in pH which could lead to accelerated weathering, an increase in alkalinity, release of major and minor ions and heavy metals (particularly Pd, Ni and Cr) as well as CO2 mobilisation of trace organic contaminants. These scenarios potentially occur in a high CO2 leakage event, therefore detection of a small leak, although barely perceptible, could provide an important early warning for a subsequent and more substantial impact. Different approaches are required for the detection and quantification of these low level leaks and are the subject of this paper. A 3 year groundwater survey was recently completed in the Surat Basin, which provided comprehensive water and isotopic analysis of groundwaters together with their exsolved gases. The gases were analysed for composition, -13CCO2, -13CCH4 and -2HCH4. Methane is prevalent in the major Surat Basin aquifers (e.g. Mooga, Gubberamunda and Hutton sandstones) and is invariably associated with a bacterial (methanogenic) carbonate reduction source, evident from its isotopic signature ('13CCH4 ~ -70', '2HCH4 ~ -220'). In addition to methane and low levels of CO2, trace ethane is common. Two neighbouring wells, however, were quite different to the other 85 wells surveyed. Their exsolved gases contained comparatively high ethane, but also C1-C6 hydrocarbons in addition to methane. Methane isotope systematics were significantly different from other groundwater wells completed in the same formation. The -13C of the CO2 was similar to the surrounding groundwater wells, but the relative proportion of CO2 in the gas was significantly higher. Combined, these characteristics are consistent with hydrocarbon biodegradation. There was little difference in the groundwater chemistry for these wells compared to the regional baseline. The study provides a useful analogue study for detection, at various scales, of a leaky well associated with a geological storage site. Compositional and isotopic analysis of exsolved gases from groundwater samples could be used to demonstrate non-equilibrium conditions and intrusion of exogenic CO2. Abstract for the 2013 International Association of Hydrologist Congress, Perth

In this study, we aim to identify the most accurate methods for spatial prediction of seabed gravel content in the northwest Australian Exclusive Economic Zone. We experimentally examined: 1) whether input secondary variables affect the performance of RFOK and RFIDW, 2) whether the performances of RF, SIMs and their hybrid methods are data-specific, and 3) whether model averaging improves predictive accuracy of these methods in the study region. For RF and the hybrid methods, up to 21 variables were used as predictors. The predictive accuracy was assessed in terms of relative mean absolute error and relative root mean squared error based on the average of 100 iterations of 10-fold cross validation. In this study, the following important findings were achieved: - the predictive errors fluctuate with the input secondary variables; - the existence of correlated variables can alter the results of model selection, leading to different models; - the set of initial input variables affects the model selected; - the most accurate model can be missed out during the model selection; - RF, RFOK and RFIDW prove to be the most accurate methods in this study, with RFOK preferred; and these methods are not data-specific, but their models are, so best model needs to be identified; and - Model averaging is clearly data-specific. In conclusion, model selection is essential for RF and the hybrid methods. RF and the hybrid methods are not data-specific, but their models are. RFOK is the most accurate method. Model averaging is also data-specific. Hence best model needs to be identified for individual studies and application of model averaging should also be examined accordingly. RF and the hybrid methods have displayed substantial potentials for predicting environmental properties and are recommended for further test for spatial predictions in environmental sciences and other relevant disciplines in the future. This study provides suggestions and guidelines for improving the spatial predictions of biophysical variables in both marine and terrestrial environments.

Monitoring is a regulatory requirement for all carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) projects to verify containment of injected carbon dioxide (CO2) within a licensed geological storage complex. Carbon markets require CO2 storage to be verified. The public wants assurances CCS projects will not cause any harm to themselves, the environment or other natural resources. In the unlikely event that CO2 leaks from a storage complex, and into groundwater, to the surface, atmosphere or ocean, then monitoring methods will be required to locate, assess and quantify the leak, and to inform the community about the risks and impacts on health, safety and the environment. This paper considers strategies to improve the efficiency of monitoring the large surface area overlying onshore storage complexes. We provide a synthesis of findings from monitoring for CO2 leakage at geological storage sites both natural and engineered, and from monitoring controlled releases of CO2 at four shallow release facilities - ZERT (USA), Ginninderra (Australia), Ressacada (Brazil) and CO2 field lab (Norway).

With improving accessibility to Antarctica, the need for proactive intervention, protection and management of sites of intrinsic scientific, historic, aesthetic or wilderness value is becoming increasingly important. Environmental protection and management in Antarctic is unique globally and is managed by provisions contained within the Antarctic Treaty. Whilst these provisions have been primarily utilised to protect sites of biological or cultural significance, sites of geological or geomorphological significance may also be considered. However, in general, sites of geological and geomorphological significance are underrepresented in conservation globally, and, particularly, in Antarctica. Wider recognition of sites of Antarctic geological significance can be achieved by development of a geo-conservation register, similar to geological themed inventories developed elsewhere globally, to promote and recognise intrinsically valuable geological and geomorphological sites. Features on the register that are especially fragile, or otherwise likely to be disturbed, threatened or become vulnerable by human activity, can be identified as such and area management protocols for conservation, under the Antarctic Treaty, can be more readily invoked, developed and substantiated. Area management should mitigate casual souveniring, oversampling and accidental or deliberate damage caused by ill-advised construction or other human activity.

The Clarence-Moreton and the Surat basins in Queensland and northern New South Wales contain the coal-bearing sedimentary sequences of the Jurassic Walloon Coal Measures, composed of up to approximately 600 m of mudstone, siltstone, sandstone and coal. In recent years, the intensification of exploration for coal seam gas (CSG) resources within both basins has led to concerns that the depressurisation associated with future resource development may cause adverse impacts on water resources in adjacent aquifers. In order to identify the most suitable tracers to study groundwater recharge and flow patterns within the Walloon Coal Measures and their degree of connectivity with over- or underlying formations, samples were collected from the Walloon Coal Measures and adjacent aquifers in the northern Clarence-Moreton Basin and eastern Surat Basin, and analysed for a wide range of hydrochemical and isotopic parameters. Parameters that were analysed include major ion chemistry, -13C-DIC, -18O, 87Sr/86Sr, Rare Earth Elements (REE), 14C, -2H and -13C of CH4 as well as concentrations of dissolved gases (including methane). Dissolved methane concentrations range from below the reporting limit (10 µg/L) to approximately 50 mg/L in groundwaters of the Walloon Coal Measures. However, the high degree of spatial variability of methane concentrations highlights the general complexity of recharge and groundwater flow processes, especially in the Laidley Sub-Basin of the Clarence-Moreton Basin, where numerous volcanic cones penetrate the Walloon Coal Measures and may form pathways for preferential recharge to the Walloon Coal Measures. Interestingly, dissolved methane was also measured in other sedimentary bedrock units and in alluvial aquifers in areas where no previous CSG exploration or development has occurred, highlighting the natural presence of methane in different aquifers. Radiocarbon ages of Walloon Coal Measure groundwaters are also highly variable, ranging from approximately 2000 yrs BP to >40000 yrs BP. While groundwaters sampled in close proximity to the east and west of the Great Dividing Range are mostly young, suggesting that recharge to the Walloon Coal Measures through the basalts of the Great Dividing Range occurs here, there are otherwise no clearly discernable spatial patterns and no strong correlations with depth or distance along inferred flow paths in the Clarence-Moreton Basin. In contrast to this strong spatial variability of methane concentrations and groundwater ages, REE and 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios of Walloon Coal Measures groundwaters appear to be very uniform and clearly distinct from groundwaters contained in other bedrock units. This difference is attributed to the different source material of the Walloon Coal Measures (mostly basalts in comparison to other bedrock units which are mostly composed of mineralogical more variable Paleozoic basement rocks of the New England Orogen). This study suggests that REE and 87Sr/86Sr ratios may be a suitable tracer to study hydraulic connectivity of the Walloon Coal Measures with over- or underlying aquifers. In addition, this study also highlights the need to conduct detailed water chemistry and isotope baseline studies prior to the development of coal seam gas resources in order to differentiate between natural background values of methane and potential impacts of coal seam gas development.

ARR is a series of national guidelines and datasets fundamental to flood estimation. The work is being completed by Engineers Australia and funded by the Australian Government through the National Flood Risk Information Project at Geoscience Australia. This flyer is for promoting the revision of ARR at the Hydrology & Water Resources Symposium (HWRS 2015) in Hobart in December 2015.

The National Exposure Information System (NEXIS) is a unique modelling capability designed by Geoscience Australia (GA) to provide comprehensive and nationally-consistent exposure information in response to the 2003 COAG commitment to cost-effective, evidence-based disaster mitigation. Since its inception, NEXIS has continually evolved to fill known information gaps by improving statistical methodologies and integrating the best publically-available data. In addition to Residential, Commercial and Industrial building exposure information, NEXIS has recently expanded to include exposure information about agricultural assets providing a wider understanding of how communities can be affected by a potential event. GA's collaboration with the Attorney General's Department (AGD) has involved the consolidation of location-based data to deliver consistent map and exposure information products. The complex information requirements emphasised the importance of having all relevant building, demographic, economic, agriculture and infrastructure information in NEXIS available in a clear and unified Exposure Report to aid decision-makers. The Exposure Report includes a situational map of the hazard footprint to provide geographic context and a listing of detailed exposure information consisting of estimates for number and potential cost of impacted buildings by use, agricultural commodities and cost, the number and social vulnerability of the affected population, and the number and lengths of infrastructure assets and institutions. Developed within an FME workbench, the tool accepts hazard footprints and other report specifics as input before providing an HTML link to the final output in approximately 5 minutes. The consolidation of data and streamlining of exposure information into a simple and uniform document has greatly assisted the AGD in timely evidence-based decision-making during the 2014-15 summer season.

Geoscience Australia and the CO2CRC operate a greenhouse gas controlled release facility at an experimental agricultural station maintained by CSIRO Plant Industry in Canberra, Australia. The facility is designed to simulate surface emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases from the soil into the atmosphere. Over 10 different near surface monitoring techniques were trialled at the Ginninderra controlled release site during 2012-2013. These included soil gas, soil CO2 flux, soil analysis, eddy covariance, CO2 laser, noble gas tracers, airborne hyperspectral, in-field phenotyping (thermal, hyperspectral and 3D imaging), and microbial soil genomics. Result highlights are presented. Different climatic conditions for the early 2012 release experiment (wet) and late 2013 release experiment (dry) resulted in markedly different sub-surface plume behaviour and surface expression of CO2. The differences between the years are attributed to changes in groundwater levels and drier conditions leading to a larger vadose zone during the 2013 experiment.

Data from surveys along the East Antarctic margin will be presented to provide insights into the diversity and distribution of benthic communities on the continental shelf and slope, and their relationship to physical processes. Seabed video and still imagery collected from the George V shelf and slope and the sub-ice shelf environment of the Amery Ice Shelf indicate that the benthic communities in these regions are highly diverse, and are strongly associated with the physical environment. Variations in seafloor morphology, depth, sediment type and bottom circulation create distinct seabed habitats, such as muddy basins, rugged slope canyons and scoured sandy shelf banks, which are, in turn, inhabited by discrete seabed communities. The infauna dominated muddy basins contrast sharply with the diverse range of filter-feeding communities that occur in productive canyons and rugged inner shelf banks and channels. In the sub-ice shelf environment, differences in organic supply, linked to the circulation patterns, cause distinct differences in the seabed communities. The strong association between benthic communities and seafloor characteristics allows physical parameters to be used to extend our knowledge of the nature of benthic habitats into areas with little or no biological data. Comprehensive biological surveys of benthic communities in the East Antarctic region are sparse, while physical datasets for bathymetry, morphology and sediment composition are considerably more extensive. Physical data compiled within the proposed network of East Antarctic Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is used to aid our understanding of the nature of the benthic communities. The diversity of physical environments within the proposed MPAs suggests that they likely support a diverse range of benthic communities.

This resource contains sediment data for the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) in the Timor Sea collected by Geoscience Australia during September and October 2012 on RV Solander (survey GA0339/SOL5650). Seabed sediment samples were collected from four survey areas by either a Smith McIntyre grab or box corer at 62 stations, divided between Area 1 (n=22), Area 2 (n=17), Area 3 (n=21) and Area 4 (n=2). The Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve survey was undertaken as an activity within the Australian Government's National Environmental Research Program Marine Biodiversity Hub and was the key component of Research Theme 4 - Regional Biodiversity Discovery to Support Marine Bioregional Plans. Hub partners involved in the survey included the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Geoscience Australia, the University of Western Australia, Museum Victoria and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Data acquired during the survey included: multibeam sonar bathymetry and acoustic backscatter; sub-bottom acoustic profiles; physical samples of seabed sediments, infauna and epibenthic biota; towed underwater video and still camera observations of seabed habitats; baited video observations of demersal and pelagic fish, and; oceanographic measurements of the water column from CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) casts and from deployment of sea surface drifters. Further information on the survey is available in the post-survey report published as Geoscience Australia Record 2013/38 (Nichol et al. 2013).