Authors / CoAuthors
Clarke, J.D.A. | Atkinson, I. | Lawrie, K.C. | Brodie, R.S. | Somerville, P. | Tan, K.P. | Halas, L.
Abstract
Identifying potential leakage zones and recharge pathways is critical to constraining models of surface-groundwater interaction in many floodplain environments in semi-arid landscapes. In this study, a 300 KHz Multibeam sonar was used to map river bed morphology along a losing reach of the Darling River near Menidee in an area known to contain deeper `holes' in the river bed. The survey has shown that the river bed had a strong bar and riffle morphology, with deeper scoured reaches alternating with shallow reaches marked by oblique linear to parabolic sand bars. Sharp bends were often marked with large depressions ranging from 5 to 11 m deep. These features, locally termed `cod holes' due to their importance in providing a reliable water source and refuge for aquatic species in times of drought, are 10-40 m wide and 50 -120 m long. Tree debris is absent from these deep depressions, which when sampled in a number of locations are lined with a hard clay. Their location at sharp bends indicates that they most likely formed and kept open by river scour. The high resolution of these data has enabled construction of detailed hydrogeological cross-sections that, when combined with hydrograph analysis hydrogeochemical and geophysical data, has helped constrain models of surface-groundwater interaction. These data have also assisted in assessing the connectivity between the river and the deeper semi-confined aquifer, and assisted with assessing the potential impacts on the river of managed aquifer recharge options in the area.
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nonGeographicDataset
eCat Id
73667
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- GA PublicationAbstract
- ( Theme )
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- groundwater
- ( Theme )
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- hydrogeology
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Earth Sciences
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- Published_Internal
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2012-02-16T00:00:00
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