Geoscience Australia and the CO2CRC operate a greenhouse gas controlled release facility at an experimental agricultural station maintained by CSIRO Plant Industry in Canberra, Australia. The facility is designed to simulate surface emissions of CO2 (and other greenhouse gases) from the soil into the atmosphere. Over 10 different near surface monitoring techniques were trialled at the Ginninderra controlled release site during 2012-2013. Different climatic conditions for the early 2012 release experiment (wet) and late 2013 release experiment (dry) resulted in markedly different sub-surface plume behaviour and surface expression of CO2. Gaseous CO2 was released 2 m below the ground surface from a slotted, 100 m long horizontal well at a rate of 144 kg/d for at least 8 weeks for both experiments. The most obvious difference between the two release experiments was that CO2 leakage expressed at different locations along the well for the two experiments. As also observed in other controlled release experiments internationally, the surface expression of CO2 during these experiments, as measured using a portable soil flux meter, was restricted to localised spots. For the 2012 (wet) release experiment, the leakage was limited to a small intense primary leak (approximately 12 m in diameter) and a neighbouring small secondary leak. In contrast, the leak from the 2013 (dry) release experiment was broader, spread over a longer length of the release well, and did not attain the very high flux intensities observed in the previous year. An array of 1 m deep soil gas wells provided insight into the migration pathways of CO2 in the sub-surface, showing a much broader dispersion of CO2 in the sub-surface compared to the surface CO2 expression. Krypton tracers confirmed that the spread of the introduced gases in the sub-surface was much greater than the surface expression, with different behaviour observed between the 2012 and 2013 experiments. The differences between the years are attributed to changes in groundwater levels, drier conditions, and a larger vadose zone during the 2013 experiment. Eddy covariance (EC) towers were deployed at the site for both experiments with the objective to detect and quantify CO2 emissions. CO2 leaks were detected above the background and the direction of the leak confirmed. However, analysis showed that current methods of EC are not appropriate for quantifying the CO2 leak, as much of the CO2 flux is lost through advection and diffusion below the measurement height. This is because the footprint of the leak is much smaller than the EC tower's footprint, resulting in a highly heterogeneous system that breaches EC's key assumptions. The results suggest that quantification using EC may not be possible for CO2 leaks with small footprints. An array of atmospheric CO2 sensors was also deployed at the site during the experiments. Application of atmospheric tomographic techniques using the point source sensors appears to be a more effective approach than EC for quantifying CO2 emissions. Broad scale leak detection technologies are necessary for surveying areas beyond high risk sites and is the subject of ongoing research at Ginninderra. Airborne hyperspectral and thermal scanning measurements were taken over CO2-impacted, mature wheat and field pea crops. The CO2 impact on plants was characterised through biochemical analysis and observed changes in plant morphology. High resolution ground-based hyperspectral and thermal measurements were taken over tillering barley and wheat, as well as field pea and canola seedlings. Dry conditions and crop stage strongly influenced the effectiveness of the remote sensing techniques for CO2 leak detection. A comparison between the high resolution ground-based and airborne hyperspectral measurements for detecting CO2 impacted plants will be presented as well as an overall assessment of the leak detection techniques. Submitted to the GHGT-12

The Walloon Coal Measures (WCM) in the Clarence-Moreton and the Surat basins in Qld and northern NSW contain up to approximately 600 m of mudstone, siltstone, sandstone and coal. Wide-spread exploration for coal seam gas (CSG) within both basins has led to concerns that the depressurisation associated with the resource development may impact on water resources in adjacent aquifers. In order to predict potential impacts, a detailed understanding of sedimentary basins hydrodynamics that integrates geology, hydrochemistry and environmental tracers is important. In this study, we show how different hydrochemical parameters and isotopic tracers (i.e. major ion chemistry, dissolved gas concentrations, 13C-DIC, 18O, 87Sr/86Sr, 3H, 14C, 2H and 13C of CH4) can help to improve the knowledge on groundwater recharge and flow patterns within the coal-bearing strata and their connectivity with over- or underlying formations. Dissolved methane concentrations in groundwaters of the WCM in the Clarence-Moreton Basin range from below the reporting limit (10 µg/L) to approximately 50 mg/L, and samples collected from nested bore sites show that there is also a high degree of vertical variability. Other parameters such as groundwater age measurements collected along distinct flow paths are also highly variable. In contrast, 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios of WCM groundwaters are very uniform and distinct from groundwaters contained in other sedimentary bedrock units, suggesting that 87Sr/86Sr ratios may be a suitable tracer to study hydraulic connectivity of the Walloon Coal Measures with over- or underlying aquifers, although more studies on the systematic are required. Overall, the complexity of recharge processes, aquifer connectivity and within-formation variability confirms that a single tracer that cannot provide all information necessary to understand aquifer connectivity in these sedimentary basins, but that a multi-tracer approach is required.

Here we report on the results of a study undertaken in the Flinders Commonwealth Marine Reserve (southeast Australia) designed to test the benefits of two approaches to characterising shelf habitats: (i) MBES mapping of a continuous (~30 km2) area selected on the basis of its potential to include a range of representative seabed habitats , versus; (ii) a novel approach that uses targeted mapping of a greater number of smaller, but spatially balanced, locations using a Generalized Random Tessellation Stratified sample design. We present the first quantitative estimates of habitat type on the shelf of the Flinders reserve, using both survey approaches, based on three MBES analysis techniques. We contrast the quality of information that both survey approaches offer in combination with the three MBES analysis methods. We then consider the implications for future inventory of benthic habitats in shelf environments in the context of monitoring extensive offshore marine reserves.

A video for the launch of new Great Barrier Reef bathymetry data on 30 November 2017.

Since 2012, Geoscience Australia has been providing spatial support and advice to the Crisis Coordination Centre (CCC) within Emergency Management Australia (EMA) as part of our collaboration with the Attorney-General's Department. Geoscience Australia designed the Exposure Report to quickly provide exposure information for timely emergency response and recovery decision-making. This document describes the datasets and processes that create the Exposure Report

With improving accessibility to Antarctica, the need for proactive protection and management of sites of intrinsic scientific, historic, aesthetic or wilderness value is becoming increasingly important. Environmental protection and conservation practise in the Antarctic is globally unique and is managed by provisions contained within the Antarctic Treaty. Whilst these provisions have been primarily utilised to protect sites of biological or cultural significance, sites of geological or geomorphological significance may also be considered. However, in general, sites of geological and geomorphological significance are underrepresented in conservation globally, and, particularly, in Antarctica. Wider recognition of sites of geological significance in Antarctica can be achieved by development of a geo-conservation register, similar to geological themed inventories developed elsewhere in the world, to promote and recognise intrinsically valuable geological and geomorphological sites. Features on the register that are especially fragile, or otherwise likely to be disturbed, threatened or become vulnerable by human activity, can be identified as such and area management protocols for conservation, under the Antarctic Treaty, can be more readily invoked, developed and substantiated. Area management should mitigate casual souveniring, oversampling and accidental or deliberate damage caused by ill-advised construction or other human activity. The recognition of significant geological and geomorphological features within the Antarctic, and their protection, is identified under the current Australian Antarctic Science Strategic plan (under Stream 2.2; Vulnerability and spatial protection)

Data from surveys along the East Antarctic margin will be presented to provide insights into the diversity and distribution of benthic communities on the continental shelf and slope, and their relationship to physical processes. Seabed video and still imagery collected from the George V shelf and slope and the sub-ice shelf environment of the Amery Ice Shelf indicate that the benthic communities in these regions are highly diverse, and are strongly associated with the physical environment. Variations in seafloor morphology, depth, sediment type and bottom circulation create distinct seabed habitats, such as muddy basins, rugged slope canyons and scoured sandy shelf banks, which are, in turn, inhabited by discrete seabed communities. The infauna dominated muddy basins contrast sharply with the diverse range of filter-feeding communities that occur in productive canyons and rugged inner shelf banks and channels. In the sub-ice shelf environment, differences in organic supply, linked to the circulation patterns, cause distinct differences in the seabed communities. The strong association between benthic communities and seafloor characteristics allows physical parameters to be used to extend our knowledge of the nature of benthic habitats into areas with little or no biological data. Comprehensive biological surveys of benthic communities in the East Antarctic region are sparse, while physical datasets for bathymetry, morphology and sediment composition are considerably more extensive. Physical data compiled within the proposed network of East Antarctic Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is used to aid our understanding of the nature of the benthic communities. The diversity of physical environments within the proposed MPAs suggests that they likely support a diverse range of benthic communities.

The potential for using a single high precision atmospheric station for detecting CO2 leaks has been investigated using a variety of statistical approaches. Geoscience Australia and CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research installed an atmospheric monitoring station, Arcturus, in the Bowen Basin, Australia, in 2010 and have collected over 3 years' worth of atmospheric concentration measurements. The facility is designed as a prototype remote baseline monitoring station that could be deployed in areas targeted for commercial scale geological storage of carbon dioxide. Two Picarro gas analysers are deployed in the station to continuously monitor CO2, CH4 and CO2 isotopes. An automated weather station and an eddy covariance flux tower have also been installed at the site. Atmospheric CO2 perturbations, from simulated leaks, have been modelled to determine the minimum statistically significant emissions that can be detected above background concentrations at Arcturus. CO2 leakage was simulated from January to December (2011) using a 3D-coupled prognostic meteorological and pollutant dispersion model (TAPM). Simulations were conducted for various locations, emission rates and distances (1-10 km) from the station. The simulated leaks were simulated using an area source (100 m x 100 m) and a point source located in the optimum wind direction (SSE), which showed the largest perturbation. To better understand the observed CO2 signal, a statistical model combining both a regression and time series model was constructed. The regression model is a time dependent generalised additive model relating the CO2 to other observed atmospheric variables (e.g. wind speed, temperature, humidity). It accounts for seasonal trends through the inclusion of dummy variables. The time series model is based on a seasonal auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, but with the additional complexity of allowing auto-regressive relationships to depend on the time of day. A non-parametric goodness of fit approach using the Kolmogorov-Smirnoff (KS) test was then used to test whether simulated perturbations can be detected against the modelled expected value of the background for certain hours of the day and for particular seasons. The developed regression model allows us to pre-whiten the CO2 time series. Pre-whitening reduces both the variance and skew of the marginal distribution of the signal. This improves the power of the Kolmogorov-Smirnoff (KS) test when attempting to detect simulated perturbations against the background signal. The KS test calculates the probability that the modelled leak perturbation could be caused by natural variation in the background. For hours between 10am and 2pm in the winter of 2011, minimum detectable leaks located 1km from the measurement station improve from 44 to 22 tpd for an area source and 33 to 14 tpd for a point source at a p-value of 0.05. These are very large leaks located only 1 km from the station. Additionally, this approach results in a high false alarm rate of 56%. An alternative p-value could be chosen to reduce the false alarm rate but the overall conclusion is the same. A long term, single measurement station monitoring program that is unconstrained by prior information on possible leaks, and based on detection of perturbations of CO2 alone due to leakage above a (noisy) background signal, is likely to take one or more years to detect leaks of the order of 10kt p.a.

As a participating organisation in the Global Mapping Project, and following discussions held at the 22nd meeting of the International Steering Committee for Global Mapping (ISCGM), the Secretariat of the ISCGM has requested the assistance of Geoscience Australia in the validation of intermediate products of global land cover, the Global Land Cover by National Mapping Organisation (GLCNMO) version 3. The request sent to Geoscience Australia involves the use of existing maps and other materials, based on expertise and knowledge to report the validation of the GLCNMO version 3 datasets.

The National Exposure Information System (NEXIS) is a unique modelling capability designed by Geoscience Australia (GA) to provide comprehensive and nationally-consistent exposure information in response to the 2003 COAG commitment to cost-effective, evidence-based disaster mitigation. Since its inception, NEXIS has continually evolved to fill known information gaps by improving statistical methodologies and integrating the best publically-available data. In addition to Residential, Commercial and Industrial building exposure information, NEXIS has recently expanded to include exposure information about agricultural assets providing a wider understanding of how communities can be affected by a potential event. GA's collaboration with the Attorney General's Department (AGD) has involved the consolidation of location-based data to deliver consistent map and exposure information products. The complex information requirements emphasised the importance of having all relevant building, demographic, economic, agriculture and infrastructure information in NEXIS available in a clear and unified Exposure Report to aid decision-makers. The Exposure Report includes a situational map of the hazard footprint to provide geographic context and a listing of detailed exposure information consisting of estimates for number and potential cost of impacted buildings by use, agricultural commodities and cost, the number and social vulnerability of the affected population, and the number and lengths of infrastructure assets and institutions. Developed within an FME workbench, the tool accepts hazard footprints and other report specifics as input before providing an HTML link to the final output in approximately 5 minutes. The consolidation of data and streamlining of exposure information into a simple and uniform document has greatly assisted the AGD in timely evidence-based decision-making during the 2014-15 summer season.