The Secondary Coastal Sediment Compartment data set represents a sub-regional-scale (1:100 000 - 1:25 000) compartmentalisation of the Australian coastal zone into spatial units within (and between) which sediment movement processes are considered to be significant at scales relevant to coastal management. The Primary and accompanying Secondary Coastal Sediment Compartment data sets were created by a panel of coastal science experts who developed a series of broader scale data sets (Coastal Realms, Regions and Divisions) in order to hierarchically subdivide the coastal zone on the basis of key environmental attributes. Once the regional (1:250 000) scale was reached expert knowledge of coastal geomorphology and processes was used to further refine the sub-division and create both the Primary and Secondary Sediment Compartment data sets. Environmental factors determining the occurrence and extents of these compartments include major geological structures, major geomorphic process boundaries, orientation of the coastline and recurring patterns of landform and geology - these attributes are given in priority order below. 1 - Gross lithological/geological changes (e.g. transition from sedimentary to igneous rocks). 2 - Geomorphic (topographic) features characterising a compartment boundary (often bedrock-controlled) (e.g. peninsulas, headlands, cliffs). 3 - Dominant landform types (e.g. large cuspate foreland, tombolos and extensive sandy beaches versus headland-bound pocket beaches). 4 - Changes in the orientation (aspect) of the shoreline.

pH is one of the more fundamental soil properties governing nutrient availability, metal mobility, elemental toxicity, microbial activity and plant growth. The field pH of topsoil (0-10 cm depth) and subsoil (~60-80 cm depth) was measured on floodplain soils collected near the outlet of 1186 catchments covering over 6 M km2 or ~80% of Australia. Field pH duplicate data, obtained at 124 randomly selected sites, indicates a precision of 0.5 pH unit (or 7%) and mapped pH patterns are consistent and meaningful. The median topsoil pH is 6.5, while the subsoil pH has a median pH of 7 but is strongly bimodal (6-6.5 and 8-8.5). In most cases (64%) the topsoil and subsoil pH values are similar, whilst, among the sites exhibiting a pH contrast, those with more acidic topsoils are more common (28%) than those with more alkaline topsoils (7%). The distribution of soil pH at the national scale indicates the strong controls exerted by precipitation and ensuing leaching (e.g., low pH along the coastal fringe, high pH in the dry centre), aridity (e.g., high pH where calcrete is common in the regolith), vegetation (e.g., low pH reflecting abundant soil organic matter), and subsurface lithology (e.g., high pH over limestone bedrock). The new data, together with existing soil pH datasets, can support regional-scale decision-making relating to agricultural, environmental, infrastructural and mineral exploration decisions.

Geoscience Australia and CO2CRC have constructed a greenhouse gas controlled release reference facility to simulate surface emissions of CO2 (and other GHG gases) from an underground slotted horizontal well into the atmosphere under controlled conditions. The facility is located in a paddock maintained by CSIRO Plant and Industry at Ginninderra, ACT. The design of the facility is modelled on the ZERT controlled release facility in Montana, which conducts experiments to develop capabilities and test techniques for detecting and monitoring CO2 leakage. The first phase of the installation is complete and has supported an above ground, point source, release experiment, utilising a liquid CO2 storage vessel (2.5 tonnes) with a vaporiser, mass flow controller unit with a capacity for 6 individual metered gas outlet streams, equipment shed and a gas cylinder cage. Phase 2 involved the installation of a shallow (2m depth) underground 120m horizontally drilled slotted well, in June 2011, intended to model a line source of CO2 leakage from a storage site. This presentation will detail the various activities involved in designing and installing the horizontal well, and designing a packer system to partition the well into six CO2 injection chambers. A trenchless drilling technique used for installing the slotted HDPE pipe into the bore hole will be described. The choice of well orientation based upon the effects of various factors such as topography, wind direction and ground water depth, will be discussed. It is envisaged that the facility will be ready for conducting sub-surface controlled release experiments during spring 2011.

The CO2CRC has been leading the international development and application of atmospheric techniques for CO2 leak detection and quantification for CCS. CSIRO's atmospheric monitoring program at the CO2CRC Otway Project demonstrated world's leading practice for atmospheric monitoring at geological storage sites. The GA-CO2CRC Ginninderra controlled release facility has enabled development and testing of a new atmospheric tomography approach for accurately quantifying CO2 emissions using atmospheric techniques. A scaled-up version of the technique using an array of more cost effective (but less accurate) sensors was applied at a larger scale at the Otway Stage 2B controlled release. Additional techniques have been developed including data filtering to optimize the detection of emitted gases against the ecosystem background and Bayesian inverse modeling to locate and quantify a source. GA and CSIRO operate a joint baseline atmospheric station in the Bowen Basin and have been independently investigating the sensitivity of CO2 leak detection through coupling of measurements taken in a sub-tropical environment with simulated leakage events. An outcome from this body of work is the importance of good quality, calibrated measurements, a long baseline record and the development and application of techniques using atmospheric models for quantifying gaseous emissions from the ground to the atmosphere. These same measurement requirements and quantification techniques have direct application to fugitive methane emissions from open cut coal mines, coal seam gas, tight gas, and conventional gas emissions. Application is easier for methane: the background signal is lower, sensors are available at affordable cost, and the emissions are measureable now. The Bowen Basin site, for example, is detecting fugitive methane emitted from open cut coal mining activities tens of kilometres away. An example of the sensitivity of atmospheric techniques for the detection of fugitive emissions from a simulated methane source will be presented.

Data gathered in the field during the sample collection phase of the National Geochemical Survey of Australia (NGSA) has been used to compile the Preliminary Soil pH map of Australia. The map, which was completed in late 2009, offers a first-order estimate of where acid or alkaline soil conditions are likely to be expected. It provides fundamental datasets that can be used for mineral exploration and resource potential evaluation, environmental monitoring, landuse policy development, and geomedical studies into the health of humans, animals and plants.

From 1995 to 2000 information from the federal and state governments was compiled for Comprehensive Regional Assessments (CRA), which formed the basis for Regional Forest Agreements (RFA) that identified areas for conservation to meet targets agreed by the Commonwealth Government with the United Nations. These 5 CDs were created as part of GA's contribution to the NE Victoria CRA. CD1 contains ArcView Legends and Projects, data coverages, shapefiles, final Exec. Summary and Minerals Technical Reports, and final figures and maps. CD2 contains final reports, metadata, model descriptions, and all associated maps and figures. CD3 contains Landsat, Magnetic and Radiometric images, AcrInfo grids, and unused ArcInfo AMLs and Graphic files that were intended for map creation. CD4 contains original data supplied by custodians, staff versions of data and projects, and various edited versions of covers and shapefiles. CD5 contains integration data used during Directions report analysis.

From 1995 to 2000 information from the federal and state governments was compiled for Comprehensive Regional Assessments (CRA), which formed the basis for Regional Forest Agreements (RFA) that identified areas for conservation to meet targets agreed by the Commonwealth Government with the United Nations. These 3 CDs were created as part of GA's contribution to the Tasmania CRA. CD1 contains final versions of all data coverages and shapefiles used in the project, and final versions of documents provided for publishing. CD2 contains Published Graphics files in ArcInfo (.gra), postscript (.ps) and Web ready (.gif) formats. CD3 contains all Geophysical Images and Landsat data.

From 1995 to 2000 information from the federal and state governments was compiled for Comprehensive Regional Assessments (CRA), which formed the basis for Regional Forest Agreements (RFA) that identified areas for conservation to meet targets agreed by the Commonwealth Government with the United Nations. These 5 CDs were created as part of GA's contribution to the SE Queensland CRA. CD1 contains ArcView Legends and Projects, data coverages, shapefiles, all documents and reports and associated maps and figures. CD2 contains various edited versions of covers and shapefiles, original data supplied by custodians, and staff workareas. CD3 contains Landsat, Magnetics etc. images. CD4 contains DEM etc. CD5 contains integration data, miscellaneous ArcInfo grids, and ArcInfo graphic files.

The Primary Coastal Sediment Compartment data set represents a regional-scale (1:250 000 - 1:100 000) compartmentalisation of the Australian coastal zone into spatial units within (and between) which sediment movement processes are considered to be significant at scales relevant to coastal management. The Primary and accompanying Secondary Coastal Sediment Compartment data sets were created by a panel of coastal science experts who developed a series of broader scale data sets (Coastal Realms, Regions and Divisions) in order to hierarchically subdivide the coastal zone on the basis of key environmental attributes. Once the regional (1:250 000) scale was reached expert knowledge of coastal geomorphology and processes was used to further refine the sub-division and create both the Primary and Secondary Sediment Compartment data sets. Environmental factors determining the occurrence and extents of these compartments include major geological structures, major geomorphic process boundaries, orientation of the coastline and recurring patterns of landform and geology - these attributes are given in priority order below. 1 - Gross lithological/geological changes (e.g. transition from sedimentary to igneous rocks). 2 - Geomorphic (topographic) features characterising a compartment boundary (often bedrock-controlled) (e.g. peninsulas, headlands, cliffs). 3 - Dominant landform types (e.g. large cuspate foreland, tombolos and extensive sandy beaches versus headland-bound pocket beaches). 4 - Changes in the orientation (aspect) of the shoreline.

Data gathered in the field during the sample collection phase of the National Geochemical Survey of Australia (NGSA) has been used to compile the Preliminary Soil pH map of Australia. The map, which was completed in late 2009, offers a first-order estimate of where acid or alkaline soil conditions are likely to be expected. It provides fundamental datasets that can be used for mineral exploration and resource potential evaluation, environmental monitoring, landuse policy development, and geomedical studies into the health of humans, animals and plants.