<div>Geoscience Australia, in partnership with Commonwealth, State and Territory governments is delivering national and regional groundwater investigations through the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) Program to support water management decisions. Geoscience Australia’s groundwater studies apply innovative geoscience tools and robust geoscientific workflows to increase knowledge and understanding of groundwater systems and assessment of groundwater resource potential for economies, communities and the environment.&nbsp;</div> This presentation was given at the 2022 Australasian Groundwater Conference 21-23 November (https://agc2022.com.au/)

<div>This is a conference abstract discussing the compilation of information for our consistent national understanding across the major hydrogeological regions of Australia. This work is a component of the National Groundwater Systems project within the Exploring for the Future program.</div>

Groundwater is critical to Australia’s future economic development and is the only reliable water source for many regional and rural communities. It also sustains environmental and cultural assets including springs and groundwater-dependent ecosystems. The demand for groundwater in Australia is expected to increase with population growth, economic development and climate change. Geoscience Australia, in partnership with Commonwealth, State and Territory governments is delivering national and regional groundwater investigations through the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) Program to support water management decisions. Geoscience Australia’s groundwater studies apply innovative geoscience tools and robust geoscientific workflows to increase knowledge and understanding of groundwater systems and assessment of groundwater resource potential for economies, communities and the environment. Through integrating geological and hydrogeological data, airborne electromagnetic and ground-based geophysical, hydrogeochemical and remote sensing data, we have developed new geological and hydrogeological conceptual models and identified potential managed aquifer recharge sites in a number of areas across Northern Australia. The EFTF program is focussed on improving our understanding of Australia's groundwater through a National Groundwater Systems project as well as two regional-scale groundwater investigations in Southern Australia. We are commencing an inventory of Australia’s groundwater systems in onshore basins that includes a compilation and broad interpretation of hydrogeological information. This is the basis for the collation and curation of nationally seamless groundwater information to support informed decision making and water resource coordination across jurisdictions. All data and value-added products are freely available for public use via the Exploring for the Future Data Discovery portal (https://portal.ga.gov.au/). This Abstract was submitted to the 2022 Australasian Groundwater Conference 21-23 November (https://agc2022.com.au/)

<div>This was the last of five presentations held on 31 July 2023 as part of the National Groundwater Systems Workshop. Towards developing a 3D hydrogeological framework for Australia: A common chronostratigraphic framework for aquifers&nbsp;</div><div><br></div>

<div>Abstract to present results so far from Upper Darling floodplain EFTF module at Australasian Groundwater Conference (AGC) in Perth</div> This presentation was given at the 2022 Australasian Groundwater Conference 21-23 November (https://www.aig.org.au/events/australasian-groundwater-conference-2022/)

<div>Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth and groundwater is crucial to maintaining the country’s population, economic activities, Indigenous culture and environmental values. Geoscience Australia is renewing a national-scale focus to tackle hydrogeological challenges by building upon our historic legacy in groundwater studies at regional and national scales.</div><div><br></div><div>The most comprehensive hydrogeological coverage of the nation is the 1987 Hydrogeology of Australia map, developed by a predecessor of Geoscience Australia. This map provides an overview of groundwater systems and principal aquifers across Australia, based upon the large sedimentary basins, intervening fractured rock areas and smaller overlying sedimentary/volcanic aquifers. However, the currency and completeness of the information presented and accompanying the national hydrogeology map needs to be improved. Updating the extents, data and scientific understanding of the hydrogeological regions across Australia, and improving the accessibility and useability of this information will address many of its current limitations.</div><div><br></div><div>Geoscience Australia, within its Exploring for the Future program, is compiling hydrogeological and related contextual information clearly and consistently across Australia’s major sedimentary basins and intervening fractured rock provinces. This information has been collected for 41 major hydrogeological regions spanning the continent: 36 sedimentary basins and 5 regions dominated by fractured-rock aquifers. The information, collected through a combination of geospatial analyses of national datasets and high-level summaries of scientific literature, will be presented through Geoscience Australia’s online data discovery portal, thereby enabling improved interrogation and integration with other web mapping services.</div><div><br></div><div>The new compilation of nationally consistent groundwater data and information will help to prioritise future investment for new groundwater research in specific regions or basins, inform the work programs of Geoscience Australia and influence the prioritisation of national hydrogeological research more broadly.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div>This Abstract was submitted/presented to the 2022 Australasian Groundwater Conference 21-23 November (https://agc2022.com.au/)