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  • 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.

  • Geoscience Australia Flyer prepared for LOCATE14.

  • Joint Release of the National ASTER geoscience maps at IGC The ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer) Geoscience Maps are the first public, web-accessible, continent-scale product release from the ASTER Global Mapping data archive. The collaborative Australian ASTER Initiative represents a successful multi-agency endeavour, led by the Western Australian Centre of Excellence for 3D Mineral Mapping (C3DMM) at CSIRO, Geoscience Australia and the State and Territory government geological surveys of Australia, along with other national and international collaborators. National ASTER geoscience map These geoscience maps are released in GIS format as 1:1M map-sheet tiles, from 3,000 ASTER scenes of 60x60km. Each scene was cross-calibrated and validated using independent Hyperion satellite imagery. The new ASTER geoscience products range in their application from local to continental scales, and their uses include mapping of soils for agricultural and environmental management, such as estimating soil loss, dust management and water catchment modelling. They will also be useful for resource exploration, showing host rock, alteration and regolith mineralogy and providing new mineral information at high spatial resolution (30m pixel). This information is not currently available from other pre-competitive geoscience data.

  • The datasets measure the K490 parameter (Downwelling diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490 nm, a turbidity parameter) of Australian oceans. They are derived products from MODIS (aqua) images using NASA's SeaDAS image processing software. The extent of the datasets covers the entire Australian EEZ and surrounding waters (including the southern ocean). The spatial resolution of the datasets is 0.01 dd. The datasets contain 36 monthly k490 layers between 2009 and 2011. The unit of the datasets is 1/m.

  • ACRES Update Monitoring pastures from space Remote sensing research at Coleambally Irrigation Area Satellite imagery helps to classify Australia's estuaries

  • A world-first continental-scale mosaic of multi-spectral ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer) data is to be delivered for the Australian continent in 2012. ASTER data has improved spectral resolution compared with landsat TM and is providing a wealth of new national information on surface mineralogy, geochemistry and landform characteristics and composition. The new continental mineral maps can be readily combined with other geoscientific datasets and have applications in regolith-landform mapping, mineral exploration, geohazard research and impact analysis, as well as agriculture and land-use planning. Using satellite multispectral ASTER to map material on the surface of the Earth at a continental scale is the next step in delivering environmental, agricultural and resource exploration tools for users of remote sensing and GIS. Mapping mineral group information using targeted band combinations can find previously unmapped outcrop of bedrock, help define soil type and chemistry, and delineate and characterise regolith and landform boundaries over large and remote areas.

  • The datasets measure the Euphotic Depth (Zeu) of Australian oceans. They are derived products from MODIS (aqua) images using NASA's SeaDAS image processing software. The extent of the datasets covers the entire Australian EEZ and surrounding waters (including the southern ocean). The spatial resolution of the datasets is 0.01 dd. The datasets contain 36 monthly Zeu layers between 2009 and 2011. The unit of the datasets is metre.

  • Australia wide mineralogical maps have recently been generated and released by CSIRO and Geoscience Australia using the 14 band satellite-borne ASTER imaging sensors. Seventeen map products related to surface composition have been produced for the geoscience community. Band parameters were developed based on spectral absorption features representing either abundance of mineral groups, specific minerals and their chemistry, vegetation cover or regolith related characteristics. A detailed study was undertaken, investigating the geoscience exploration capabilities of these newly released map products, individually, and integrated with airborne geophysics and digital elevation models over the Mt Fitton test site in northern Flinders Ranges, South Australia. This site includes the Mt Fitton talc deposits, gold prospects, and areas of hydrothermal activity and metasomatism.

  • ACRES Tehnical Document - updated 4 September 2000. Dynamic range values for ACRES TM data products.