Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey and conductance data for Cooper Creek floodplain and surrounds for estimating groundwater bulk conductivity and mapping potential fresh groundwater lenses  


Authors / CoAuthors

Symington, N. | Halas, L. | Evans, T.

Abstract

<div>Airborne electromagnetics (AEM) is a geophysical technique used for estimating the bulk conductivity profile of the upper 300 m (approximately) of the subsurface. The AEM data acquired as part of the Exploring for the Future program AusAEM Eastern Corridor survey (Ley-Cooper 2021) covers much of the central Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre Basin (KT–LEB). Data for these regional surveys were acquired using the TEMPEST AEM system at a nominal 20 km line spacing.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The prevalence and relative consistency of large sand-rich sediment zones across the Cooper Creek Palaeovalley (Evans et al. 2024) means that AEM data are potentially useful for inferring the distribution of groundwater salinity beneath the floodplain and surrounds. To visualise salinity from AEM data in a map, the thickness weighted average bulk conductivity was calculated for the 15 m depth interval beneath the watertable along the AEM survey lines. Symington et al. (2024) details the rationale and methods to produce the AEM bulk conductivity points. Symington et al. (2024) also included the code embedded in a jupyter notebook written to calculate bulk conductance points from AEM line data and undertake an uncertainty analysis to assess the likelihood of the conductance response to be related to groundwater (note that the link to the code is contained in the Symington et al. 2024 reference).</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>In conjunction with sparse groundwater salinity and water level data from existing bores, Symington&nbsp;et al. (2024) used the conductance data to provide insights to address the following questions:</div><div>1. What is the regional scale distribution of groundwater salinity within the shallow alluvial aquifer?</div><div>2. Where does the shallow aquifer host fresh water?</div><div>3. What areas are most likely to receive recharge from the flanks of the floodplain?</div><div>4. Is there evidence for the groundwater discharging into the river?</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Data from Symington et al. (2024) were used to infer salinity across the Cooper Creek floodplain and Strzelecki Desert, as well as to determine the location of potential fresh groundwater lenses beneath Cooper Creek floodplain in SA and Queensland. The groundwater bore and uncertainty analysis suggests good correlation exists between groundwater bore data and AEM conductance points, where groundwater occurs at shallow depths in areas including the Cooper Creek floodplain, Strzelecki Desert, and Coongie Lakes. Data analysis, interpretation and results are in Symington et al. (2024) and further discussed in Evans et al. (2024), Symington et al. (2023) and Symington et al. (2022).</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>References</div><div>Evans TJ, Bishop C, Symington NJ, Halas L, Hansen JWH, Norton CJ, Hannaford C and Lewis SJ (2024) Cenozoic geology, hydrogeology, and groundwater systems: Kati Thanda – Lake Eyre Basin, Record 2024/05, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, http://dx.doi.org/10.26186/147422.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Ley-Cooper AY (2021) Exploring for the Future AusAEM Eastern Resources Corridor 2021 Airborne Electromagnetic Survey TEMPEST® airborne electromagnetic data and GALEI inversion conductivity estimates [data set], Geoscience Australia, https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/api/records/145744, accessed 14 December 2023.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Symington N, Evans T, McPherson A, Buckerfield S, Rollet N, Ray A and Halas L (2024) Characterising surface water groundwater interaction using airborne electromagnetics: a case study from the Cooper Creek floodplain, Queensland, Australia, workflow release, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/149176.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Symington N, Evans T, Rollet N, Halas L, Vizy J, Buckerfield S, Ray A, LeyCooper Y and Brodie R (2023) Using regional airborne electromagnetic conductivity data to characterise surface water groundwater interaction in the Cooper Creek floodplain in arid central eastern Australia, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/147716.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Symington N, Halas L, Evans T and Rollet N (2022) Mapping freshwater lenses in the Cooper Creek floodplain using airborne electromagnetics, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, https://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/ga/147039.</div>

Product Type

dataset

eCat Id

149839

Contact for the resource

  Resource provider

 

  Point of contact

Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)  
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia

  Point of contact

 

Digital Object Identifier

https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/149839

Keywords

( Project )
  • National Groundwater Systems
( Project )
  • EFTF – Exploring for the Future
  • airborne electromagnetic survey
  • AusAEM
  • AusAEM interpretation
  • data processing
  • data workflows
  • groundwater salinity
  • groundwater recharge
  • uncertainty analysis
  • fresh groundwater lenses
  • AEM bulk conductivity
  • Cooper Creek floodplain
  • Kati Thanda - Lake Eyre Basin
theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf
  • Groundwater hydrologyElectrical and electromagnetic methods in geophysics
  • Published_External

Publication Date

2024-11-25T23:19:38

Creation Date

2024-08-31T08:00:00

Security Constraints

Australian Government Security Classification System    

Classification - unclassified

Legal Constraints

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence    

Use - license otherRestrictions

Status

completed

Purpose

This data package contains several airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and associated datasets from the Cooper Creek floodplain AEM case study undertaken as part of the activity to assess the Cenozoic geology, hydrogeology, and groundwater systems of the Kati Thanda – Lake Eyre Basin. This activity was part of the National Groundwater Systems (NGS) project in the Exploring for the Future program and used the Eastern Corridor AusAEM survey dataset. The data package also contains data showing the interpreted position of 14 fresh groundwater lenses at various locations beneath the Cooper Creek floodplain and surrounds as interpreted from AEM data.

Maintenance Information

asNeeded

Topic Category

geoscientificInformation

Series Information

Lineage

<div>Data lineage, processing code, workflows, and workflow methodology are described in Symington et al. (2024).</div>

Parent Information

Extents

[-29.431, -24.55968, 139.253, 144.3221]

Reference System

GDA94 / geographic 2D (EPSG: 4283)

Spatial Resolution

Service Information

Associations

Association Type - generated

Cenozoic geology, hydrogeology and groundwater systems: Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Basin    

eCat Identifier - 147422,

UUID - 536d99d7-00ec-4a56-9298-2a28db63aeb5

Association Type - generated

Exploring for the Future AusAEM Eastern Resources Corridor: 2021 Airborne Electromagnetic Survey TEMPEST® airborne electromagnetic data and GALEI inversion conductivity estimates    

eCat Identifier - 145744,

UUID - 44f4bc4f-b826-48d1-b134-33c6646ed675

Association Type - generated

Mapping freshwater lenses in the Cooper Creek floodplain using airborne electromagnetics    

eCat Identifier - 147039,

UUID - 410f20cc-ae41-4496-a6cb-0a90f281c428

Association Type - generated

Using regional airborne electromagnetic conductivity data to characterise surface water groundwater interaction in the Cooper Creek floodplain in arid central eastern Australia    

eCat Identifier - 147716,

UUID - d7e1ab9b-4fcf-45aa-8cb8-539be7382068

Association Type - generated

Characterising surface water groundwater interaction using airborne electromagnetics: a case study from the Cooper Creek floodplain, Queensland, Australia, workflow release    

eCat Identifier - 149176,

UUID - a6641c2e-23b9-44bc-ac10-d6283c2cb415

Downloads and Links

Download the data (zip) [9.1 MB]  

Source Information