Integrating Satellite-, Airborne and Ground Measurements to Map Key Elements of the Hydrological Cycle and Underpin Management of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems in Australia  

Authors / CoAuthors

Gow, L. | Lawrie, K.C. | Halas, L. | Tan, K.P.

Abstract

How much easier it would be to map and quantify the key elements of the hydrological cycle if the Earth's surface was transparent! Unfortunately, this is not the case and it is this very inability to penetrate to sufficient depths to map and quantify groundwater components of the hydrological cycle that currently necessitates the integration of satellite- airborne- and ground observations. In Australia, important advances have been made in the last 3 years in quantifying key elements of the hydrological cycle. This has been achieved in part through the increased use of Landsat, MODIS, SPOT, hyperspectral, NOAA and LiDAR datasets to improve the mapping and quantification of surface water, evapotranspiration, soil moisture and recharge and discharge. However, significant limitations remain in using satellite-based platforms alone for quantifying catchment water balances, surface-groundwater interactions, groundwater resource estimation and managing groundwater dependent ecosystems. Increasingly, the need to map the key elements of the hydrological cycle to calibrate water balance models and for environmental management, is leading to the development of more holistic systems approaches, involving the integration of satellite-, airborne and ground-based techniques and measurements. One example is in the River Murray Corridor (RMC) in SE Australia, where previous attempts to assess the water needs for iconic floodplain wetland ecosystems, based largely on satellite-based measurements, did not adequately take into account sub-surface soil conditions and groundwater quality and processes. In floodplain environments such as the River Murray Floodplain, the factors that govern tree health are invariably complex, and include a wide range of biophysical and biogeochemical factors.

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nonGeographicDataset

eCat Id

73019

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Keywords

• External Publication

( Theme )

• groundwater

( Theme )

• remote sensing

( Theme )

• vegetation

( Theme )

• hydrogeology

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

• Earth Sciences

• Published_Internal

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2011-10-27T00:00:00

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence    

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geoscientificInformation

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