CWI Annual Report 2016 by The Imagination Agency Pty Ltd

Connected Waters Initiative (CWI) Annual Report 2016

CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE (CWI) ÂŠ 2016 Connected Waters Initiative Research Centre

UNSW AUSTRALIA The Centre acknowledges the support and assistance of various funding bodies, donors and industry partners involved in our research projects including the Australian Research Council, Federal Department of Education, Federal Department of Environment and the Cotton Research and Development Corporation.

ADDRESS Connected Waters Initiative Research Centre The University of New South Wales UNSW Australia NSW 2052 W http://www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au/

PRODUCTION Connected Waters Initiative Research Centre Editors: Martin S Andersen and Katie Coleborn Proof reading: Alexandra Auhl Images: Members of CWI, including: 1 Report Image: Martin Andersen 2 Research Image: Bryce Kelly 3 CWI @ work Image: Andy Baker 4 Publications Image: Andy Baker Front cover: Andy Baker Back cover: Andy Baker Design: Helena Brusic CRICOS provider NO 000098G

CONTENTS Contents 1. REPORTS

2. RESEARCH

3. CWI @ WORK (IMAGES)

4. PUBLICATIONS

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1 REPORTS CENTRE DIRECTORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S INTRODUCTION

SUMMARY OF CWI GOALS AND PERFORMANCE

MEDIA RELEASES

Media releases and other media successes

Media highlight story: River on fire

STAFF AND MEETINGS

Significant managerial or personnel changes

Records of dates and attendance

CWI annual research retreat

TEACHING 17 Teaching and research supervision 17 Finalised PhD theses in 2016 18 Ongoing PhD theses 18 Ongoing research master theses 19 Honours theses

PhD Recruitment

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CENTRE DIRECTOR’S INTRODUCTION The Connected Waters Initiative Research Centre (CWI) is one of UNSW’s only cross-faculty research centres. It operates a wide portfolio of groundwater-related research projects across the faculties of Science, Engineering and Law. The CWI has faculty staff in the Schools of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), Civil and Environmental Engineering (CVEN), Mining Engineering (MINE), Faculty of Law and School of Petroleum Engineering (SCOPE). You can read about our staff and our research here: www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au.

Martin Andersen

The CWI team continued to consolidate and deliver on the centre’s research portfolio. In 2016, the centre’s total ARC grant portfolio included: three Linkages, one Discovery, one Future Fellowship (O’Carroll) and one DECRA (Holley). Non-ARC funding focused on coal seam gas related research funded by the Cotton Research Development Corporation (CRDC) (Kelly, Andersen, Manefield and CWI affiliate, Cendón), and the Department of Environment Office of Water Science (Andersen, and affiliate, Eberhard). The CWI received another year of funding for management and maintenance of the NCRIS Groundwater Infrastructure program for the Federal Government (Department of Education, Andersen). In 2016, CWI staff have been heavily involved in industry engagement. For example, Associate Prof. Bryce Kelly and affilliate, Dioni Cendon, met with Namoi Water to discuss both the impact of the Water Sharing Plans and the Pilliga CSG developments. ARC Future Fellow Denis O’Carroll was leading electro-kinetic contaminated site remediation trials in Ontario, Canada, funded by CH2M, Dow Chemical and Geosyntec. Associate Prof. Cameron Holley pitched a one-page proposal to the visiting National Party delegation visiting UNSW entitled: “Smart Water Management: Achieving Optimal, Fair and Efficient Water Use”. Dr Wendy Timms was recently appointed to the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC) and Prof. Andy Baker provided advice on the Jenolan Cave Environmental Monitoring program. CWI director Martin Andersen, GWI director Nick Schofield and postdoctoral fellow Landon Halloran had a meeting with Paul Smith of AWA regarding potential funding for a pilot study on a Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) project in Thailand. The CWI team met with numerous industry representatives from organisations such as CSIRO, NSW Department of Planning, Qld Department of Mines and Natural Resources, and the Commonwealth Office of Water and Mining Industries. In 2016, there were 59 journal publications compared to 46 in 2015, demonstrating that it was a highly productive year for CWI. It was also a very good year for the CWI team in terms of publishing in high quality, high impact journals, with an increase in the Field-Weighted Citation Impact (which indicates how the number of citations received by CWI’s publications compares with the average number of citations received by all other similar publications indexed in the Scopus database) from 1.45 in 2015 to 2.08 <4> CWI CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE - ANNUAL REPORT 2016

in 2016. Our deliberate strategy of increasing our research excellence and research impact has paid off, as evidenced by the trajectory of CWI outputs in the top 10 citation percentile of journals over the last 5 years (Data is based on ROS and SciVal). Trajectory of the percentage of CWI outputs in the top 10 citation percentile of journals compared to the overall UNSW trajectory between 2012 and 2016. Source: Scival, based on permanent academics, HDR student, postdocs and centre affiliates.

Outputs in Top 10 citation percentile (%)

CWI Research Performance

35 30 25 20 15 10

CWI UNSW

5 0 2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

In 2016, CWI staff and students were able to celebrate numerous achievements which included: Prof. Andy Baker received recognition as the distinguished Fred L. and Frances J. Oliver Lecture at the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas, Austin (US); Associate Prof. Bryce Kelly was one of three finalists for the Cotton Seed Distributor Researcher of the year; Associate Prof. Denis Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Carroll was invited to speak at the University of Queensland and the 251st American Chemical Society National Meeting in San Diego (US).ď Ž

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Below: Former CWI Director Prof. Andy Baker receiving recognition as the distinguished Fred L. and Frances J. Oliver Lecture at the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas, Austin (US).

SUMMARY OF CWI GOALS AND PERFORMANCE Key Performance Indicators for the CWI as detailed in our 2012-2017 Business Plan are to: • Keep UNSW at the forefront of groundwater research in Australia; • Raise UNSW profile by successfully maintaining long-term groundwater monitoring sites; • Hold and received new Cat 1 funding from the Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC); • Increase staffing capacity in groundwater at UNSW, especially by attracting high quality PhD students, international post-doctoral researchers and international collaborators.

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With respect to these indicators, in 2016 the CWI team have: • Authored one scholarly book; eight scholarly book chapters; authored and co-authored 59 peer-reviewed international journal articles, 24 conference presentations and three technical reports. • Hold ARC funding including ARC Future Fellowship, an ARC DECRA, several ARC Linkages and Discovery grants. • Senior academics from CWI are represented in the Research Leadership Team for the Global Water Institute (UNSW). CWI has put forward multiple proposals via its link with the institute. • Hosted 2016 Darcy Lecturer Dr Ty Ferre. • Submitted strong applications for funding from Research and Development Corporation and Australian Coal Research Program (Cat 1). • Received new funding from NSW Department of Planning and Environment. • Continued using the Wellington Field Training Facility for undergraduate training. • Enrolled two new PhD students, Katie Coleborn and Liza McDonough.

In 2017, the major goals for CWI are: • To align the centre vision and strategy to the UNSW2025 strategy. • To increase industry and community engagement and to increase industry funding. • To increase the portfolio of research grants, including category 1 and 2 funding from the Government. • To successfully maintain the NCRIS Groundwater Infrastructure program with funding from the Federal Government. • Continued use of the Wellington Field Training facility, including undergraduate field teaching in Engineering. • To support the development of centre staff, especially early career researchers and professional staff. • To increase the number of new PhD students.

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MEDIA RELEASES Media releases and other media successes The CWI team produced the following media releases in 2016: 1 March: UNSW publish opinion article originally featured in The Conversation titled: ‘The world’s biggest source of freshwater is beneath your feet’ discussing Australian groundwater as an economic resource. This went on to have a wide social media readership to the extent it featured in the 2016 Conversation Yearbook, which featured ‘50 stand-out articles from Australia’s top thinkers’. https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/ world%E2%80%99s-biggest-source-freshwater-beneath-your-feet-0 9 March: UNSW newsroom published an opinion piece by Associate Prof. Bryce Kelly and Charlotte Iverach previously featured in The Conversation discussing the greenhouse gas footprint of coal mining. https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/ australia%E2%80%99s-coal-mines-are-pouring-methane-gas-atmosphere 21 March: Article in the Smithsonian Magazine on CWI research into the effects of fire on karsthydrology. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ caves-can-now-help-scientists-trace-ancient-wildfires-180958492/ 8 April: Prof. Andy Baker presented as a distinguished lecturer at Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. http://www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au/news/2016/04/ andy-baker-distinguished-lecturer-university-texas 21 April 2016: New research measures effects of human activities on groundwater systems. Researchers at the UNSW Connected Waters Initiative (CWI) have developed new geotechnical centrifuge methods for measuring how the properties of groundwater systems can be affected by activities such as extraction and mining. http://www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au/news/2016/04/ new-research-measureseffects-human-activities-groundwater-systems

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3 May 2016: UNSW newsroom featured an article by Associate Prof. Bryce Kelly and Charlotte Iverach discussing the presence of methane gas in the Condamine River and how this event has highlighted the need for greater investigation into how gas exploration affects our water resources. ‘River on fire: even if it’s not coal seam gas we should still be concerned’. https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/ river-fire-even-if-it%E2%80%99s-not-coal-seam-gas-we-should-still-be-concerned 4 May 2016: Promotion of collaborative work with ANSTO via the ANSTO Media Centre lead by AINSE honours scholarship recipient, Gurinder Nagra, published in Hydrology and Earth Systems Science. www.ansto.gov.au/AboutANSTO/Mediacentre/News/ACS095188 21 May 2016: ANSTO researchers featured in Careers with Science publication include CWI post-graduate researcher Monika Markowska. 21 July 2016: Press release by EGU Copernicus Press Office to promote the wildfire on karst hydrology paper by Nagra et al., published in Hydrology and Earth Systems Science http://www.egu.eu/news/249/fire-clues-in-cave-dripwater-researchers-find-wildfire-signatures-in-cave-formations-for-the-first-time/ 21 July 2016: Article highlighting the use of nuclear techniques to help sustain Australia’s finite groundwater resources from ANSTO’s website using isotopes to answer questions about groundwater recharge, groundwater age and dynamics, the interaction between surface water and groundwater and salinisation. Featuring CWI affiliate Dr. Karina Meredith. http://www.ansto.gov.au/AboutANSTO/MediaCentre/News/ACS101040 22 July 2016: The website Wild covered a story from ANSTO CWI affiliate Dr. Pauline Treble’s work in Western Australia looking for fire records in stalagmites http://wild.com.au/news/scientists-discover-fire-records-locked-in-stone/ 24 July 2016: Bushfire signals identified in cave formations for the first time. UNSW-led scientists studying a cave in Western Australia have shown that stalagmites formed by mineral-rich water drips from the ceiling could help reveal past wildfires that burned above the cave. http://www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au/news/2016/07/ bushfire-signals-identified-caveformations-first-time

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2 August 2016: Rethinking Water Law and Governance: Successes, Challenges and Future Directions. Outcomes of the recent meeting of water law specialists hosted by the UNSW Faculty of Law and the Connected Waters Research Initiative Research Centre (CWI) have been brought together in a special issue of Environmental Planning and Law Journal (EPLJ). http://www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au/news/2016/08/ rethinking-water-law-andgovernance-successes-challenges-and-future-directions 2 August 2016: Stories of Australian Science published an interest story from the CWI team’s work using caves as observatories of groundwater behavior “The water beneath our feet”. http://stories.scienceinpublic.com.au/2016/cavewater/ 11 August 2016: Multi-generational approach to groundwater recharge: Bryce Kelly discusses in ‘The Land’ how flood water could be used to recharge aquifers throughout the Murray-Darling Basin. http://www.theland.com.au/story/4081170/ researchers-vision-forground-water-recharge/?cs=4937 5 September 2016: Book launch “Integrated Groundwater Management: Concepts, Approaches and Challenges”. Contributions from the CWI team feature in a new open access book that is among the first to cover hydrogeology, sustainable development, water policy, governance, and management. http://www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au/news/2016/09/ integrated-groundwatermanagement-concepts-approaches-and-challenges 4 October 2016: IAH annual Congress in Montpellier (F). UNSW PhD Candidate, Scott Cook presented on “Integrating hydrographic and hydrochemical data using a multivariate statistical approach: A case study in an Australian alluvial aquifer-aquitard system”. Dr. Wendy Timms presented on “Conceptual models of risks to shallow waters associated with underground mining through geological fault structures.” http://www.acsmp.unsw.edu.au/news/ acsmp-researchers-present-findings-at-recent-hydrogeology-congress Holley and co-workers wrote an article for LexisNexis with the title: ‘The future of water reform in Australia - starting a conversation’ Vol. 31, pp. 132-137 (2016). As part of our media strategy, CWI research is now tweeted by Baker (@baker_and) and Holley (@H2Ogovernance). Baker is also sharing all CWI news items sent to him via Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Media Highlight Story: River on fire: even if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not coal seam gas we should still be concerned By A/Prof Bryce Kelly, Charlotte Iverach (PhD candidate) & Elisa Ginty (Honours student) (adapted from a highly-read article in The Conversation and UNSW Newsroom Opinion)

photos Bryce Kelly A) Methane gas bubbles seeping from the Condamine River. B) A close-up of the methane bubbles on the river bed. Astonishing footage of a river in Queensland on fire has once again stoked the coal seam gas (CSG) debate. In this article, we examine possible origins for the gas in the Condamine River, which flows over groundwater that is used to supply irrigation, stock and domestic water. This groundwater, located in the Condamine River Alluvial Aquifer, overlies a coal deposit known as the Walloon Coal Measures. This has been exploited for coal and, more recently, for the CSG that resides within it. In 2012, the Queensland government found that the chemistry of the gas from the Condamine River gas seep is consistent with a source in the Surat Basin. Below we examine the cases.

Is it CSG? No CSG production or exploration has occurred within 1.4 km of the Condamine River gas seep. This suggests that CSG is not responsible. Methane gas is buoyant, and when released at depth, it will generally rise vertically through the Earth. Where a coal or CSG exploration or production well is vertical, methane gas leakage measured at the ground surface is usually contained to within tens to a few hundred metres of the well. Methane can move horizontally, but only when there are geological structures that force it to move laterally. Gas can migrate many kilometres through dipping geological layers and networks of geological faults. This is common with conventional gas reservoirs kilometres below the Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface. But coal seams under the Condamine River are relatively shallow, so gas is unlikely to move horizontally more than a few hundred metres from a CSG well.

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Whether a natural or an abandoned exploration well, the Condamine River gas seep is a concern, because it suggests that we do not know enough about the groundwater system in the region Natural causes? The broader geological setting also supports the argument that the Condamine River gas seep is natural. From its headwaters, the Condamine River initially flows northwest before turning southwest near Chinchilla. Such a sharp change in flow direction is consistent with the presence of a major geological fault, and methane may be migrating via this fault. The Condamine River gas seep occurs in the river reach just after this major change in flow direction. Methane in the coal seam can also be mobilised by changes in the weight of the earth above it, particularly movement of water. Groundwater extraction lifts weight off the Walloon Coal Measures, while floods increase the weight. The interplay of groundwater use and flooding effectively pumps the system and mobilises trapped gas. This gas slowly migrates to the ground surface. The Condamine River is also not the only place in the region where methane is likely to be naturally seeping upwards from the Walloon Coal Measures. Another 100 km south of the notorious Condamine River gas seep, at Cecil Plains, we analysed the chemistry of groundwater that overlies the Walloon Coal Measures. By analysing the chemistry of the methane molecules, we found that at some locations the methane in the groundwater was due to natural upward migration of gas from the underlying Walloon Coal Measures. <12> CWI CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE - ANNUAL REPORT 2016

A leaky well? But the case is not closed over whether the Condamine River gas seep is natural. Throughout Queensland, there are hundreds of poorly documented coal and groundwater exploration wells. These were drilled during the last century before the creation of rigorous regulations. Near Chinchilla, on the Condamine River, abandoned leaky exploration wells have been located by measuring the methane in air at ground level. What if there is just such an abandoned well associated with the Condamine River gas seep? In April 2016, we mapped gas leaking from the site of a presumably abandoned leaking coal exploration well just 2.5 km north of the Condamine River gas seep. If there is a similar poorly documented abandoned well closer to the Condamine River it could account for the gas seeps being reported.

The big picture Whether a natural or an abandoned exploration well, the Condamine River gas seep is a concern, because it suggests that we do not know enough about the groundwater system in the region. CSG production requires the extraction of large volumes of water to depressurise the coal seam and shift methane so it can be recovered. Over decades, the zone of depressurisation will extend away from the gas production well and slowly depressurise nearby areas. To fully understand the impact of CSG production, we need to know if there are connections between the coal measures targeted for gas extraction and the groundwater used by people and groundwater-dependent ecosystems. To date, only 17 out of hundreds of geological faults and no abandoned leaky wells have been incorporated into the regional groundwater model used to assess the impact of CSG production. Depending on CSG production and groundwater use, these could conceivably play a role in lowering the groundwater levels of the Great Artesian Basin and the Condamine River. The only way to understand how CSG is affecting groundwater is to account for abandoned wells and other geological structures in groundwater flow models. The gas seeps at the Condamine River may indeed be natural. The fact that there is so much confusion and debate about this issue highlights the need to provide the public with high-quality, scientifically defensible information. Some good data have been collected, but we must expand groundwater monitoring throughout the region, and improve our mapping of gas seeps to determine the source of the gas. Without a comprehensive picture of the region, we cannot properly assess the long-term impact of CSG production.ď Ž

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STAFF AND MEETINGS Significant managerial or personnel changes During 2016 the CWI management team consisted of Martin Andersen (Director) and Cameron Holley (Associate Director). Throughout 2016, the presiding faculty was Engineering. By the end of 2016, the Connected Waters Initiative Research Centre had the following staff make up (funding source in brackets):

Director Senior Lecturer Martin Andersen (CVEN)

Research Associate Katie Coleborn

Associate Directors Associate Prof. Cameron Holley (LAW) Associate Prof. Denis O’Carroll (CVEN)

Professional Staff Mark Whelan Dayna McGeeney* Iwona Buczek, Calvin Li

Academics Professor Andy Baker (BEES) Prof. Emeritus Ian Acworth (CVEN) Associate Prof. Bryce Kelly (BEES) Dr. Wendy Timms (MINE) Dr. Gabriel Rau (CVEN) Dr. Hamid Roshan (SCOPE) Visiting Academics Dr. Zhangyong Wang (Chinese Academy of Science) Dr. Fengmei Ban† Mr Toshiyuki Bandai (University of Tokyo) Post-doctoral Researchers Dr. Helen Rutlidge Dr. Ashley Martin†

Centre Affiliates Dr. Dioni Cendón Janice Gray Associate Prof. Stuart Khan Dr. Karina Meredith Dr. Pauline Treble Dr. Andrew McCallum Dr. Stefan Eberhard Darren Sinclair Dr. Mark Cuthbert Dr. Catherine Jex * Staff that left the centre in 2016 † Staff and affiliates that joined the centre in 2016

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Records of dates and attendance of management and advisory committee meetings The new CWI management team consists of Martin Andersen (Director – CVEN), Cameron Holley (Law) and Denis O’Carroll (CVEN). In 2016, the management team was working on aligning the CWI strategic plan with the UNSW 2025 strategy. The interim strategic plan was discussed with the wider CWI team at the CWI retreat in November. 15th CWI Management Board Meeting 27th of May. Prof. Mark Hoffman (Presiding Chair); Dr. Martin Andersen (Director CWI); Prof. Chris Tinney (Acting Dean Science); Associate Prof. David Cohen (HOS BEES); Prof. Paul Hagan (HOS MINE); Prof. Stephen Foster (HOS CVEN); Prof. Ian Turner (WRL Director); Prof. Klaus Regenauer-Lieb (HOS SCOPE); Associate Prof. Cameron Holley (CWI Management team, LAW). 16th CWI Management Board Meeting 13th of October. Prof. Mark Hoffman (Presiding Chair); Dr. Martin Andersen (Director CWI); Prof. Peter Lovibond (Dean of Science); Prof. George Williams (Dean of Law); Associate Prof. David Cohen (HOS BEES); Prof. Paul Hagan (HOS MINE); Prof. Stephen Foster (HOS CVEN); Prof. Ian Turner (WRL Director); Prof. Klaus Regenauer-Lieb (HOS SCOPE); Associate Prof. Cameron Holley (CWI Management team, LAW).

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CWI Annual Research Retreat There was a great turn out for the CWI annual retreat which was located at the picturesque Quarantine Station in Manly. The theme for this year was how to improve our Industry and Community engagement and how to effectively measure our impact. This theme was explored via interactive discussions and brainstorming sessions. A highlight of the day was a strategic planning activity facilitated by Barbara McKellar with her extensive experience in the research, design and delivery of learning and development programs. The day enabled all members of CWI to showcase their research via a short one slide presentation and share ideas with colleagues who may work in different faculties and be based on different campuses. ď Ž

Photos Martin Andersen <16> CWI CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE - ANNUAL REPORT 2016

TEACHING Teaching and research supervision carried out by the Centre on behalf of academic units Centre staff employed by the Schools of CVEN, BEES, MINE, PTRL and UNSW Law and Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre contributed the following UNSW teaching in 2016: GEOS1111 Fundamentals of Geology GEOS1211 Environmental Earth Science GEOS2291 Ground and Surface Water CVEN3501 Water Resources Engineering CVEN3702 Solid Waste GEOS3761 Quaternary Environments CVEN4503 Groundwater Resource Investigation GEOS3733/6733 Environmental Geophysics CVEN9630 Groundwater Hydrology and Resources Analysis CVEN9884 Environmental Engineering Science 1 CVEN9885 Environmental Engineering Science 2 MINE1010 Mineral resources engineering MINE3220 Resource estimation MINE3910 Socio-environmental aspects of mining MINE8760 Mine geology and geophysics MINE8910 Mine water and waste management MINE8930 Fundamentals of uranium mining PTRL4010 Geological Modelling (Thesis A) PTRL3023 Formation Evaluation (well logging) LAWS3361 Environmental Law JURD7361 Environmental Law LAWS8068 Environmental Law in Australia LAWS8069 Natural Resources Law

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Finalised PhD Theses in 2016 Cuadrado-Quesada, Gabriela. Groundwater Governance: Participation, Accountability and Sustainability. Supervisor Holley (LAW) Graham, Peter. Dissolved Organic Carbon in Groundwater. Supervisors Baker (BEES) and Andersen (CVEN) Halloran, Landon. Investigation of Surface Water â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Groundwater Interactions in Ephemeral Streams Using Heat as a Tracer. Supervisors Andersen, Rau and Roshan (CVEN)

Ongoing PhD Theses Bryan, Eliza. A multi-scale investigation into groundwater hydrochemical processes on Rottnest Island using isotopic and accelerator-based techniques. Supervisors Baker (BEES), Andersen (CVEN), Meredith (ANSTO, CWI Affiliate) and Vincent Post (Flinders University) Castilla, Juan R. Novel approaches to groundwater management using complex systems science and agent-based models. Supervisors Mariethoz, Andersen (CVEN) and Kelly (BEES) Chen Qian (Eric) Application of alkaline brine salts from coal seam gas operations in remediation of acid mine drainage. Supervisors David Cohen (BEES), Andersen (CVEN) Coleborn, Katie. Sulphur: a new speleothem proxy for wildfires? Supervisors Baker, Treble (ANSTO, CWI Affiliate), Peter Wynn (Lancaster University), Silvia Frisia (University of Newcastle) Cook, Scott. New approaches to characterisation of aquitard properties and processes in alluvial groundwater systems. Supervisors Timms (MINE) and Kelly (BEES) David, Katarina. Characterisation of low permeability strata in the Sydney Basin. Supervisors Timms, Rudrajit Mitra (MINE) and Baker (BEES) Hocking, Mark. Assessing the Impact of Coal Seam Gas Developments in the Condamine Catchment. Supervisor Kelly (BEES) and Craig Beverly (ext.). Iverach, Charlotte. The application of isotopes for assessing the impacts of the gas sector on groundwater and air. Supervisors: Kelly (BEES), CendĂłn (ANSTO, CWI Affiliate) Keshavarzi, Mohammedreza. Geochemical and geophysical investigations of carbonate hydrogeology, SE Australia. Supervisors Baker and Kelly (BEES) Li, Calvin. Spatial and Temporal Importance of Diffuse and Stream Recharge in Semiarid Environments. Supervisors Andersen (CVEN), Kelly (BEES) and Rau (CVEN) Markowska, Monika. Speleothem records of past climate and groundwater recharge in SE Australia. Supervisors Baker (BEES), Treble (ANSTO, CWI Affiliate) and Andersen (CVEN) Peterson, Mark. Interpreting fractured rock aquifers and groundwater residence time <18> CWI CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE - ANNUAL REPORT 2016

using radioisotopes. Supervisors Andersen (CVEN) and Cendón (ANSTO, CWI Affiliate) Tadros, Carol. Geochemical signatures of past climate variability in speleothems from Yarrangobilly Caves. Supervisors Baker (BEES) and Treble (ANSTO, CWI Affiliate) Yan, Jie (Jack). Unravelling the deformation history of the Northern Hastings Block, south New England Orogen. Supervisors Paul Lennox (BEES), Kelly (BEES), Robin Offler (University of Newcastle) Zainuddin, Nur. Sources and mobility of arsenic in alluvial river sediments. Supervisors Andersen (CVEN) and Baker (BEES)

Ongoing Research Master Theses Auhl, Alexandra. Using cotton strip assays to compare microbial activity in the groundwater and hyporheic zone at Maules Creek, NSW, Australia. Supervisors Baker (BEES), Andersen (CVEN) Holley (LAW) Helen Rutlidge (CVEN) Fang, Bian. Impact of fire on hydrological and geochemical signatures in karst vadose zone water, Wombeyan caves, New South Wales, Australia. Supervisors Baker (BEES) and Pauline Treble (CWI affiliate) Wei, Wang. The effect of an artificial destratification system on the water quality of Chichester Reservoir, The role of organic carbon. Andersen (CVEN) and Glamore (CVEN)

Honours Theses Chlochaisri, Cyrus. Surface Water and Groundwater Investigations in Manly Creek. Supervisors Andersen (CVEN), Rau (CVEN) and Halloran (CVEN) Ginty, Elisa. Carbon isotopic evidence that coal derived methane is altering the chemistry of the global atmosphere. Supervisor Kelly (BEES) Kennedy, James. Experimental Investigation of Heat Tracing Methods in Variably Saturated Sediments. Supervisors Halloran (CVEN), Rau (CVEN) and Andersen (CVEN) Malik, Nayab. Investigations insurface water groundwater interactions in Manly Creek. Supervisors Andersen (CVEN), Rau (CVEN) and Halloran (CVEN) Wong, Aaron. Experimental observation of non-uniform flow in a homogeneous porous material using heat tracing.Supervisors Rau (CVEN) and Andersen (CVEN), Halloran (CVEN) Zhang, Yuda. Evapotranspiration model performance. Supervisor O’Carroll (CVEN)

PhD Recruitment In 2016 CWI was successful in recruiting two PhD students, Katie Coleborn and Liza McDonough funded by International Post-graduate Research Scholarship and Australia Post-graduate Award, respectively. 

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UNSW and ANSTO sampling CSG monitoring well Namoi 2016 (Bryce Kelly)

2 RESEARCH RESEARCH PROJECTS

ARC DECRA (Holley)

ARC Future Fellowship (O’Carroll)

ARC Discovery (Baker, O’Carroll, Andersen)

ARC Linkage with ANSTO, NSW OEH, Optimal Karst Management, University of Birmingham (Baker, Andersen, Treble)

ARC Linkage with ANSTO / ANU / Rottnest Island Authority / Department of Water WA (Baker, Meredith)

ARC Linkage with DPI Water (Holley)

NCRIS (Andersen)

Federal Government OWS (Andersen)

Cotton RDC Projects (Kelly, Cendon, Manefield, Andersen, Rau)

RAAP-NSW (Rau)

SELECTED RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN 2016

Geochemical methods for characterisation of organic material and groundwater in upland peat swamps

Factors Affecting the Fate of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in Groundwater

Watching trees drink groundwater

Hydrogeochemistry, biogeochemical processes and subsurface ecology

Highlighting the Thesis research work by Dr. Landon Halloran

Highlighting the thesis work by Gabriela Cuadrado Quesada

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RESEARCH PROJECTS ARC DECRA (Holley)

Aerial view of the Darling River (Tim J Keegan)

One of Australia’s greatest challenges is managing its scarce water resources through collaborative water planning. This project critically evaluates collaborative water governance, develops legal and policy principles enabling its mobilisation in an effective, efficient and equitable manner. Work on the project has progressed according to the Project Plan and Timeline. The fieldwork completed to date has enabled Holley to complete a number of publications (an edited book, 6 peer reviewed book chapters accepted or published, 6 peer reviewed articles accepted or published and 9 conference presentations, including 4 invited presentations and one invited keynote). A scholarly workshop was also held in December 2015, and this has led to special issue in the Environmental and Planning Law journal entitled ‘Rethinking water governance’. The issue generated significant interest, including over 700 hits on the special issue’s blog site set up by Thomson Reuters, and subsequent invitations to Holley from the Murray Darling Basin Authority, the South Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation (Ian Hunter), and Federal Senator Nick Xenophon to meet, present and/or provide further information on water reform. The remaining principal project milestones will be to conduct a final round of interviews in 2016 to test the validity of initial findings, and the production of a planned manuscript that combines a policy examination of Australian arrangements (to suggest why and how collaborative water governance should be remodelled to better achieve its water and public interest goals) with a theoretical examination of collaboration and its governance implications.

ARC Future Fellowship (O’Carroll) Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have generated significant public and scientific excitement due to their unique properties. However, there is concern that some ENPs can have detrimental environmental impacts. The project tasks are progressing as planned. O’Carroll and ANSTO collaborator, Dr. Catherine Hughes, attended a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada funded project meeting investigating the eco-toxicity and transport of nanoparticles released from commercial products. The meeting was led by Dr. Kela Weber at the Royal Military College of Canada in September 2016. O’Carroll, Weber and Hughes discussed a range of collaboration opportunities that has led to the submission of a proposal entitled “Investigation of nanosilver in consumer products and its release and transport in the environment” to ANSTO. The proposal was led by Dr. Hughes with O’Carroll and Weber acting as coCIs. Collaboration with ANSTO staff will further accelerate this work given access to world leading analytical equipment. <22> CWI CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE - ANNUAL REPORT 2016

ARC Discovery (Baker, O’Carroll, Andersen) The ARC DP16 project will investigate the processes that determine the organic carbon concentration in groundwater. Entitled “Groundwater organic matter: carbon source or sink?”, the project tackles the fact that the contribution of organic matter in groundwater to the global terrestrial carbon budget is unknown. This project aims to determine the processes which control the amount of groundwater organic matter. Dr. Helen Rutlidge was appointed as a postdoc to the project to start in 2017. Two PhD researchers have been recruited, one started S2 2016 (Liza McDonough, APA) and one starts S1 2017 (Phetdala Oudane, Australia Award). The project started in S2 2016 with Task 2 – a review of existing literature and groundwater DOC data - undertaken by McDonough. Delays to starting field and laboratory work due to lack of lab space should be resolved in early 2017 with the relocation of the BEES team to E26 (due April 2017), and completion of the O’Carroll Lab space at Manly Vale (due February 2017).

Dr. Helen Rutlidge sampling a borehole at Maules Creek (Andersen)

ARC Linkage with ANSTO, NSW OEH, Optimal Karst Management, University of Birmingham (Baker, Andersen, Treble) This project, investigating the effects of fire on karst subsurface processes, was officially completed in July 2016. However, a successful experimental burn in May has allowed us to extend the project to complete post-fire monitoring, being undertaken by MRes Bian Fang (supervised by Baker and Treble). Project RA Katie Coleborn has been successful in obtaining a PhD Scholarship to undertake follow up research related to this project, and she started the PhD in S2 2016 (Supervisors Baker and Treble). Provisional research results were presented to NSW OEH in September. Further papers from this project are in review (Scientific Reports, Nagra et al.) or in prep (Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Coleborn et al.). Baker presented results from the project in an invited keynote presentation ‘karst and climate change’ at the Eurokarst2016 conference, Switzerland.

PhD student Mohammedreza Keshavarzi inspecting cave formations (Baker) CWI CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE - ANNUAL REPORT 2016 <23>

ARC Linkage with ANSTO / ANU / Rottnest Island Authority / Department of Water WA (Baker, Meredith) The project, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unlocking the secrets of the groundwater cycle using Si and Li isotopesâ&#x20AC;?, is a collaboration between Baker, Meredith (ANSTO and CWI), Norman (ANU), Pigois (WA Office of Water), and Kearney (Rottnest Island Authority). This project aims to determine how non-conventional lithium and silicon isotopes can be used to understand groundwater processes using an innovative source-to-target approach. Fieldwork for this project has been completed by PhD researcher Eliza Bryan (supervisors Baker, Andersen, Meredith, Post). A one-year project RA position has been filled, with Dr. Ashley Martin due to commence in November. Dr. Martin will establish the isotope prep lab facilities, and prepare and analyse all samples for this project. We are currently recruiting PhD and Honours researchers to ensure continued use of this new ANSTO/UNSW facility when ARC funding concludes in late 2017.

Dr. Karina Meredith (ANSTO) and PhD student Liza McDonough sampling groundwater on Rottnest Is (WA) (Baker)

ARC Linkage with DPI Water (Holley) This study is the first to partner with a key water regulator, DPI Water, to critically evaluate compliance and enforcement in practice. A survey of water users across NSW was completed and interviews with water users, drillers, industry groups and regional DPI Water staff were finalized. There has also been regular liaison with our industry partner and, through this agency, communication with Commonwealth, and other state and territory regulators for non-urban water. Notwithstanding that data collection stage is still underway (in accordance with planned milestones) outputs have been possible, including: 5 peer reviewed articles published or accepted for publication; 5 book chapters published or accepted for publication; 7 international and national conference presentations; and 2 reports to DPI water and one report to water users on stakeholders views and experience with metering, compliance and enforcement in NSW. The principal remaining milestones involve the completion of a survey on the regulation of controlled activities and a number of journal articles that draw together and synthesize our arguments made in our reports to DPI Water and extend them to connect to the broader issue of water regulation and governance.

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NCRIS (Andersen) The NCRIS Groundwater Infrastructure Program progressed as planned in 2016. Besides the routine data capturing and dissemination and infrastructure maintenance, the main activity has been engaging with the National Research Infrastructure Capabilities road mapping activities. The NCRIS Groundwater Program presented for the road mapping expert panels of environmental and National Security in Melbourne on the 25th of May. It also participated in the consultation session with the Expert Working group in Sydney CBD (19th of August) led by the Chief Scientist of Australia, Dr. Alan Finkel. The Groundwater Program made a submission to the roadmapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Issues Paper (on 9th of September) on behalf of the facility and its partners (ANU, Flinders and Monash Universities) and contributed material to the official UNSW submission (led by the PVCRI) and a joint NCRIS facilities submission. In light of potential future changes in priorities the groundwater research infrastructure program has been considering how to maintain funding and how to increase the scale and scope of national groundwater infrastructure. Discussions were held with representatives of Bureau of Meterologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s groundwater team, the NCRIS AusCope team and the NCRIS TERN team about the future of groundwater infrastructure collaborations and synergies. It was generally agreed that there are real synergies to be explored along the groundwater ecology interface and that better integration and collaboration is to be pursued, which aligns with the National Research Infrastructure Capabilities Issues Paper. The NCRIS Groundwater Infrastructure Program technical officer Iwona Buzcek took 12 month parental leave, but a temporary replacement was found who was able to start early to allow time for proper handover, hence the program did not experience any delays.

Federal Government OWS (Andersen, Eberhard) This project to inform the assessment of hydroecological responses to coal seam gas extraction and large coal mines generated field data on the impacts of lowered groundwater levels on terrestrial vegetation, stream and subsurface ecology from two catchments; Maules Creek (NSW) and Bremer River (QLD) The project had a number of students involved in the fieldwork research supervised by postdoctoral fellow Dr Helen Rutlidge: M. Phil student Alexandra Auhl, Master student Junsong Chen and Honours students Cecil Moll and Afrida Salma. As part of the project engagement component, the research team presented the preliminary findings to the OWS advice team (this team assess mine EIS proposals) during a two day workshop in Canberra 12nd of June. The aim or the workshop was to discuss with the project advice team how the findings can best be used to support the advice function. The preliminary findings were also presented to the IESC (Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development) in Canberra on the 1st of August. The final report was submitted in December and approved by the Office of Water Science (federal Department of the Environment and Energy). A copy of the report can be found at: http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/assessment-ecohydrological-responses. Scientific peer-reviewed journal papers will be prepared and published in 2017. CWI CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE - ANNUAL REPORT 2016 <25>

NCRIS Groundwater Telemetry at Fowlers Gap (NSW) (Andersen)

Cotton RDC Projects (Kelly, Cendon, Manefield, Andersen, Rau) CRDC Project Condamine Catchment: Baselining groundwater and air in irrigated agriculture districts adjacent to the Surat Basin CSG developments. (Kelly and Cendon, PhD Candidates Charlotte Iverach and Mark Hocking) This project has been running since 2014 and was completed at the end of June 2016. Over 3500 km was surveyed and several gas leaks detected. These leaks were associated with abandoned wells and a leaky gas distribution line. Poorly abandoned exploration wells provide pathways of connectivity between the coal measures and the fresh water alluvial aquifers. This work has been acknowledged by the Queensland Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment and they will make an assessment of the impact of these wells in future groundwater models of the region.

Dr. Dioni Cendon (ANSTO) and PhD student Charlotte Iverach sampling surface water in the Namoi Catchment CRDC Project Lower Namoi Catchment: (NSW) (Bryce Kelly)

Baselining groundwater and air in irrigated agricultural districts adjacent to the Pilliga CSG developments. (Kelly, Cendon, Andersen, Manefield). This project was started in 2016 and runs until June 30th, 2018. Bryce Kelly, Dioni Cendon, Stuart Hankin and PhD student Charlotte Iverach spent two weeks in June 2016 sampling boreholes in the lower Namoi. They also provided NSW Office of Water an update on sampling undertaken to date. This dataset will provide insights on the impact of groundwater extractions, and the extent of connectivity between the lower Namoi alluvium and the Gunnedah Basin portion of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB). The Pilliga CSG developments will be targeting coal seams within the Gunnedah Basin.

CRDC Project Lower Namoi:

Charlotte Iverach groundwater gas sampling Namoi 2016

Mapping abandoned leaky petroleum exploration wells (Kelly, hons student Elisa Ginty). In this honours scholarship project affiliated with project 2 above continuous measurements of methane in the ground level atmosphere were made over 2000 km. Of the more than 30 exploration wells in the region none were found to be leaking gas, although one GAB blowout well has been identified. Project finalized end of June 2016.

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CRDC PhD scholarship Project: Spatial and temporal importance of diffuse and stream recharge in semiarid environments: implications for integrated water management. (PhD student Calvin Li supervised by Andersen, Kelly and Rau). PhD student Calvin Li took leave from his PhD while he took up a 12-month fixed-term position as technical officer on the NCRIS Groundwater Infrastructure Program.

CRDC Project Border Rivers: Deep drainage under irrigated agriculture and native vegetation (Kelly in collaboration with Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines). Collected data is now being processed and interpreted. This project completes June 30th 2017.

RAAP-NSW (Rau) Dr. Landon Halloran was appointed as postdoctoral researcher on 0.5 FTE to meet the milestones set out in the NSW Research Acceleration and Attraction Program (RAAP) funding agreement. This research funding was leveraged of the NSW portion of the NCRIS Groundwater Infrastructure funding. Dr. Halloran developed groundwater factsheets and knowledge development towards understanding and quantifying groundwater recharge from dryland streams. For download of groundwater factsheet see: http://www.connectedwaters.unsw.edu.au/sites/all/files/UNSW-CWI_groundwater-facts_2017.pdf.

Groundwater facts for the public â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NSW RAAP funding. (design Anna Blacka)

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SELECTED RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN 2016 Geochemical methods for characterisation of organic material and groundwater in upland peat swamps Katarina David Upland peat swamps are developed in valleys that overlie Triassic Sandstone in the Sydney Basin (Australia) with endemic flora and fauna species that are dependent on saturated or moist conditions. These upland swamps, typically located between 600 to 1200 m above sea level, are protected and listed as threatened ecological communities under Australian and State government regulations. However, many of those swamps have been degraded by stormwater runoff from urban areas, erosion, fires and the effects of underground mining (Robarts et al., 2013; Fryirs, 2016). This research was undertaken as a baseline study of intact swamps to understand their groundwater systems and interaction with surface water. We have for the first time applied the pore water δ18O and δ2H stable isotope method to characterise the swamps. This was complemented by collecting geology information, sediment, peat, roots and leaves samples and groundwater, surface water over two monitoring events in wet and dry periods of 2016.

Technical officer Dayna McGeeney taking soil samples from a Blue Mountains swamp (Timms)

A conceptual model based on this data indicates relatively rapid exchange of rainwater and groundwater within the swamp system, with flows enhanced along the base of the swamp, due to a sandy layer above the bedrock. Changes in water stored within the swamp were indicated by changes in moisture content, and isotopic signature of swamp pore water over time and with depth. The role that the catchment hydrology has on the health of the swamp is important in facilitating the vegetation community, and groundwater is likely the primary factor that contributes to long term health of the ecosystem. The findings of this study are being prepared for a journal paper and will be presented at the International IAH Congress in Dubrovnik in 2017.

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Factors Affecting the Fate of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) in Groundwater Liza McDonough Understanding the movement and transformation of carbon through the terrestrial landscape is essential in order to assist in balancing the global carbon budget. Whilst the movement of carbon in the atmosphere and in surface waters has been extensively studied, at present the mechanisms for mobilisation, transport and sequestration of organic carbon in groundwater remains poorly understood. Our research aims to compare a large dataset of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and, where available, isotopic data obtained from numerous published and unpublished studies. Understanding where Australia lies in a global groundwater DOC context was of particular interest. Published and unpublished datasets provided by UNSW Sydney, ANSTO and Southern Cross University were collated for review. Groundwater DOC concentration data were examined alongside temperature, pH, δ13C, sample depth, distance from surface waters and anion and cation data where possible to investigate trends and correlations between variables. Results indicate that DOC is rapidly removed from surface water as it infiltrates and is transported in aquifer systems. DOC concentrations quickly drop to values between approximately 0 and 5 mg C/L when sample depths of 30 m below land surface are exceeded. Analysis of the currently available DOC data suggests that for every 1% change in sample depth, there is approximately a 0.3% decrease in DOC concentration. Average DOC concentrations in groundwater in Australia appear to be similar to global DOC. The mean is slightly higher, which may be influenced by a number of high DOC concentrations in samples obtained from within Holocene sediments at coastal sites on Australia’s eastern coast. For the first time this research combines global groundwater DOC concentration data and other variables to perform comparisons between geographically distant sites. The research was performed as part of a larger project with further investigations into adsorptive or microbial causes for differences in DOC concentrations currently being undertaken, with biodegradable DOC and column adsorption/desorption experiments underway.

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Watching trees drink groundwater Katie Coleborn, Gabriel Rau, Mark Cuthbert, Andy Baker, Owen Navarre Groundwater is the largest source of freshwater (when disregarding glaciers). We use groundwater to drink, to grow crops and to support extractive industries. If it is not done sustainably, this lowers the water table to such an extent that it can cause rivers and springs to dry up. Climate change is leading to a warmer environment, and more weather extremes, including heatwaves. What impact will this have on trees? Trees are an important part of the global water balance. Understanding when, where and how trees use groundwater will allow us to better predict how they will respond to changing groundwater levels in the future. We used automatic drip counters in a cave to measure changes in the amount of water reaching the cave. When studying these drip changes, we found daily ‘wiggles’ in the drip rate. The drip rate would increase and then decrease over the course of the day in regular cycles. We used a new signal processing method called wavelet synchrosqueezing to find out when and where these wiggles occurred. We discovered that the wiggles didn’t happen at every drip site, and that they didn’t happen all the time, or at the same time of day. Prof. Andy Baker and PhD student Katie Coleborn collecting Cave drip water samples (credit unknown)

We eliminated a variety of possibilities, such as changes in atmospheric pressure and Earth tides. We worked out that these wiggles could only be caused by Snow Gums. These Eucalyptus trees were seen to be drinking the groundwater during the sunniest times of the hottest days. Why did the wiggles occur at different times of day and in different amounts? Because the distance from the tree roots to drip site might vary. And trees of different age use different amounts of water. And the different sizes of the subsurface water store vary from tree to tree. Previously, it has been shown that trees extracting groundwater can change the groundwater level and streamflow. Our research is the first direct observation of trees drinking the cave drip water. Our research will enable better predictions about how trees will respond to falling water tables in the future. Without our natural laboratory, observing the drinking habits of trees would otherwise be much harder to measure. 

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Hydrogeochemistry, biogeochemical processes and subsurface ecology Helen Rutlidge

Dr. Martin Andersen sampling water chemistry from the hyporheic zone of Maules Creek (NSW) (Helen Rutlidge) The hyporheic zone (a shallow zone of saturated sediments below streams and rivers where mixing occurs between surface water and groundwater) influences important ecosystem processes including primary productivity, nutrient cycling, storage and transformation of organic matter and is a place of invertebrate refuge. Agricultural and mining practices can lead to groundwater drawdown; however, little is known about the effect of this on biogeochemical processes and the resulting impact on ecosystems processes. The objective of this study was to understand how changes in the groundwater-surface connectivity, hyporheic exchange or biogeochemical processes affect the ecological conditions for fauna. This study showed the importance of the hyporheic zone in maintaining key biogeochemical processes, even when surface flow had ceased. The results supported previously developed conceptual models that show that the amount of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus is a function of residence time in the hyporheic zone. Also as the length and/or residence time of these hyporheic flow paths increased there is a transitional from oxic to anoxic conditions and hence more reduced conditions and the release of reduced species such as ferrous iron. Reduced conditions corresponded with an overall decrease in fauna abundance and richness and hence groundwater drawdown could potentially lead to a decrease in fauna populations and diversity. The effects of groundwater drawdown on nutrient biogeochemical processes is complex and depends on a range of factors including hyporheic flow conditions, regional groundwater discharge, and the degree of drying. However, assuming that hyporheic flow is maintained there would be changes in N-speciation and changes in N/P ratios and this may have implications for stoichiometric requirements of primary and secondary production within residual wetted surface habitats. Sustained groundwater drawdown that causes perennial reaches to become intermittent may lead to a decrease in the relative quantity of labile (i.e. biologically available) dissolved organic matter (DOM), compared to perennial systems. Ultimately, greater intermittency may increase the relative quantity of non-labile DOM compounds, reducing the amount of energy and nutrients incorporated in local food webs, and potentially increase in the export of biologically irrelevant DOM to downstream ecosystems. You can read more about this project in the report at: http://www.environment.gov.au/water/ publications/assessment-ecohydrological-responses.ď Ž CWI CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE - ANNUAL REPORT 2016 <31>

Highlighting the Thesis research work by Dr. Landon Halloran Gabriel Rau and Martin Andersen

PhD Landon Halloran doing hot research at Maules Creek, 2013 (photo Mark Cuthbert).

In 2016, CWI PhD candidate Landon Halloran completed a major career milestone. His PhD thesis entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heat tracing in the variably saturated shallow subsurfaceâ&#x20AC;? was accepted by the external review panel without corrections. During his candidacy, Landon has gained experience several aspects of hydrogeophysics, namely theoretical development of methodologies, laboratory experiments, field work as well as numerical modelling. This work has integrated some of the challenging complexities inherent to the non-linear coupled relationships between variably saturated sediments and heat transport. His work first focussed on maximising the process understanding obtained from using heat as a tracer to quantify water flow in sediments. He developed a new, spatial visualisation technique which was successfully tested tested using measurements obtained from Maules Creek, one of the NCRIS field sites operated by CWI. This new technique allows the detailed spatial assessment of water flow through sediment from high-resolution distributed fibre optic temperature measurements. For example, this can be used to infer heterogeneity in the hydraulic properties of sediments. Landon further developed a new analytical solution to calculate water saturation from passive temperature measurements in unsaturated sediments. This work was based on first principles and demonstrated Landonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strong mathematical capabilities. The method uses the propagation of the natural temperature signal over depth to infer the degree of saturation in shallow sediments. This technique is useful because temperature is a parameter that is robust, cheap to measure and nature provides the variations that the method relies on. At last, Landon recognised that there was a need for summarising existing knowledge in his field of research. He therefore collated and digested the state-of-knowledge before publishing it in the prestigious journal Earth-Science Reviews, which is one of the best high quality journals in our field. This review summarises recommendations for further research in vadose zone heat transport.

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Workflow for using heat to calculate saturation in unsaturated sediments (Halloran et al. Earth-Science Reviews 2016) References: Halloran, L.J.S., Roshan, H., Rau, G.C., Andersen, M.S., & Acworth, R.I (2016): Improved spatial analysis of streambed vertical thermal regime and fluxes using coiled fibre-optic distributed temperature sensing. Hydrological Processes. Vol. 30: 2686â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2702. doi:10.1002/hyp.10806. Halloran, L.J.S., Roshan, H., Rau, G.C., & Andersen, M.S. (2016): Calculating water saturation from passive temperature measurements in near-surface sediments: Development of a semi-analytical model. Advances in Water Resources. Vol. 89, p. 67-79. doi:10.1016/j.advwatres.2016.01.007. Halloran, L.J.S., Rau, G.C. and Andersen, M.S. (2016): Heat as a tracer to quantify processes and properties in the vadose zone: A review. Earth-Science Reviews. Vol. 159, pp. 358-373. doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2016.06.009.ď&#x201A;˘

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Highlighting the thesis work by Gabriela Cuadrado Quesada Dr. Gabriela Cuadrado-Quesada (g.quesada@un-ihe.org) was a doctoral candidate supported by the Connected Waters Initiative Research Centre and supervised by Cameron Holley and Rosemary Rayfuse at UNSW Law. Gabriella successfully completed her PhD in 2016 and it was formally awarded in February 2017. Her doctoral research focused on groundwater governance looking in particular at the design and implementation of legal frameworks in Australia and Costa Rica. After completing her PhD, Gabriella successfully applied for a MarieCurie fellowship. She is currently working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education in Delft, the Netherlands where she continues researching groundwater governance and law. She is expanding her research to new jurisdictions such as the Netherlands and India to analyse how groundwater governance mechanisms can better incorporate equity, participation, accountability and sustainability.

References Cuadrado-Quesada et al, “The Evolution of Groundwater Governance in the Anthropocene: A close look at Costa Rica” (in progress) Zwarteveen et al, Engaging in the politics of water governance,” WIREs Water, (forthcoming). Cuadrado-Quesada “Gobernanza de las aguas subterráneas, conflictos socio-ambientales y alternativas: experiencias de Costa Rica, Anuario de Estudios Centroamericanos, Universidad de Costa Rica (forthcoming). Cuadrado-Quesada (2014) “Groundwater governance and spatial planning challenges: examining sustainability and participation on the ground”, Water International, 39:6, 798 -812. Cuadrado-Quesada and Simm G., (2014) “People’s Tribunals: a progressive mechanism to achieve justice” Human Rights Defender, 23:1, 21 -23. Cuadrado-Quesada (2009) The recognition of the right to a healthy environment in the International Treaties and in Costa Rica’s Law. CEJIL’s Journals. Centre for Justice and International Law. San José, Costa Rica. Cuadrado-Quesada et al, (2009). “Elements for the discussion of the access to water as a human right in Costa Rica”. Environmental and Natural Resources Law Centre (CEDARENA) San José, Costa Rica. Cuadrado-Quesada and Castro-Vargas, S., (2009). “The expansion of the pineapple plantations against human rights”. Red sugar, green deserts. HIC-AL y FIAN. México D.F. Cuadrado-Quesada, (2008) “Legalization of water’s pollution in Costa Rica: cases of Diurón and Bromacil”. Ambientico Journal. Universidad Nacional (UNA). Heredia, Costa Rica. Cuadrado-Quesada and Castro-Córdoba, R., (2008). “Protecting today the water for tomorrow: Successful Community based experiences” Environmental and Natural Resources Law Centre (CEDARENA) San José, Costa Rica. Cuadrado-Quesada and Monge-Flores, E., (2004). “Tools for the Protection of Water Resources” Environmental and Natural Resources Law Centre (CEDARENA) San José, Costa Rica. <34> CWI CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE - ANNUAL REPORT 2016

Fire at Wombeyan (Baker)

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3 CWI @ WORK CWI AT WORK - IMAGES

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4 PUBLICATIONS Books 42 Book chapters

Journal Articles

Conference abstracts

Reports 47 Other 47

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Books Gray, J., C. Holley and R. Rayfuse, Eds. (2016). Trans-Jurisdictional Water Law and Governance, Routledge.

Book chapters Gray, J. (2016). Trans-jurisdictional water law and governance in the context of unconventional gas mining: the Australian experience. H. C. Gray J, Rayfuse R. London, Routledge: 214-239. Gray, J., C. Holley and R. Rayfuse (2016). The challenge of trans-jurisdictional water law and governance. Gray J., Rayfuse J., London, Routledge. Gray, J., C. Holley and R. Rayfuse (2016). The future of trans-jurisdictional water law and governance. London, Routledge: 303-315. Gray, J. and D. McCoy (2016). The common good, unconventional gas mining, and public health. UK, Cambridge Scholars: 159-198. Greene, R., W. Timms, P. Rengasamy, M. Arshad and R. Cresswell (2016). Soil and aquifer salinization: toward an integrated approach for salinity management of groundwater. B. O. Jakeman A, Hunt R, Rinaudo JD, Ross A, Springer: 337- 412. Holley, C. (2016). New Environmental Governance: Environmental Harms, Enforcement and Collaboration. W. R. Spapens T, Huisman W, Routledge: 157-173. Holley, C. and C. Shearing (2016). Policing and New Environmental Governance. J. B. Bradford B, Loader I, Steinberg J, SAGE: 552-572. Holley, C., D. Sinclair, E. Lopez-Gunn and E. Schlager (2016). Conjunctive Management Through Collective Action. B. O. Jakeman T, Hunt R, Rinaudo JD, Ross A, Springer.

Journal Articles Acworth, R.I., L. Halloran, G.C., Rau, M.O. Cuthbert, and T. Bernardi (2016). “An objective frequency-domain method for quantifying confined aquifer compressible storage using Earth and atmospheric tides.” Geophysical Research Letters43(22): 11671-11678. Acworth, R. I., G. C. Rau, M. O. Cuthbert, E. Jensen and K. Leggett (2016). “Longterm spatio-temporal precipitation variability in arid-zone Australia and implications for groundwater recharge.” Hydrogeology Journal24(4): 905-921. Al-Yaseri, A. Z., H. Roshan, M. Lebedev, A. Barifcani and S. Iglauer (2016). “Dependence of quartz wettability on fluid density.” Geophysical Research Letters43(8): 3771-3776. Baker, A., I. Flemons, M. S. Andersen, K. Coleborn and P. C. Treble (2016). “What determines the calcium concentration of speleothem-forming drip waters?” Global and Planetary Change143: 152-161.

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Baker, A., C. N. Jex, H. Rutlidge, M. Woltering, A. J. Blyth, M. S. Andersen, M. O. Cuthbert, C. E. Marjo, M. Markowska, G. C. Rau and S. J. Khan (2016). “An irrigation experiment to compare soil, water and speleothem tetraether membrane lipid distributions.” Organic Geochemistry94: 12-20. Banerjee, B. P., S. Raval and W. Timms (2016). “Erratum to: Evaluation of rainfall and wetland water area variability at Thirlmere Lakes using Landsat time-series data.” International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology13(10): 2535-2538. Banerjee, B. P., S. Raval and W. Timms (2016). “Evaluation of rainfall and wetland water area variability at Thirlmere Lakes using Landsat time-series data.” International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology13(7): 1781-1792. Blyth, A. J., A. Hartland and A. Baker (2016). “Organic proxies in speleothems – New developments, advantages and limitations.” Quaternary Science Reviews149: 1-17. Bouzalakos, S., R. A. Crane, D. McGeeney and W. A. Timms (2016). “Stressdependent hydraulic properties of clayey-silt aquitards in eastern Australia.” Acta Geotechnica11(5): 969-986. Bryan, E., K. T. Meredith, A. Baker, V. E. A. Post and M. S. Andersen (2016). “Island groundwater resources, impacts of abstraction and a drying climate: Rottnest Island, Western Australia.” Journal of Hydrology542: 704-718. Carstea, E. M., J. Bridgeman, A. Baker and D. M. Reynolds (2016). “Fluorescence spectroscopy for wastewater monitoring: A review.” Water Research95: 205-219. Coleborn, K., G. C. Rau, M. O. Cuthbert, A. Baker and O. Navarre (2016). “Solarforced diurnal regulation of cave drip rates via phreatophyte evapotranspiration.” Hydrology and Earth System Sciences20(11): 4439-4455. Coleborn, K., A. Spate, M. Tozer, M. S. Andersen, I. Fairchild, B. MacKenzie, P. Treble, S. Meehan, A. Baker and A. Baker (2016). “Effects of wildfire on long-term soil CO2 concentration: Implications for karst processes.” Environmental Earth Sciences75(4): 330. Currell M., D. Banfield, I. Cartwright andD.I.Cendón (2016). “Geochemical indicators of the origins and evolution of methane in groundwater: Gippsland Basin, Australia.”Environmental Science and Pollution Research24(15): 13168-13183 Cuthbert, M. O., R. I. Acworth, M. S. Andersen, J. R. Larsen, A. M. McCallum, G. C. Rau and J. H. Tellam (2016). “Understanding and quantifying focused, indirect groundwater recharge from ephemeral streams using water table fluctuations.” Water Resources Research52(2): 827-840. Duan, W., J. Ruan, W. Luo, T. Li, L. Tian, G. Zeng, D. Zhang, Y. Bai, J. Li, T. Tao, P. Zhang, A. Baker and M. Tan (2016). “The transfer of seasonal isotopic variability between precipitation and drip water at eight caves in the monsoon regions of China.” Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta183: 250-266. Duvert, C., M. K. Stewart, D. I. Cendón and M. Raiber (2016). “Time series of tritium, stable isotopes and chloride reveal short-term variations in groundwater contribution to a stream.” Hydrology and Earth System Sciences20(1): 257-277. CWI CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE - ANNUAL REPORT 2016 <43>

Fan, D., D. M. O’Carroll, D. W. Elliott, Z. Xiong, P. G. Tratnyek, R. L. Johnson and A. N. Garcia (2016). “Selectivity of Nano Zerovalent Iron inIn SituChemical Reduction: Challenges and Improvements.” Remediation Journal26(4): 27-40. Gray, J. and L. Lee (2016). “National Water Initiative styled water entitlements as property Legal and practical perspectives.” Environmental and Planning Law Journal33(4): 284-300. Gunningham, N. and C. Holley (2016). “Next-Generation Environmental Regulation: Law, Regulation, and Governance.” Annual Review of Law and Social Science12(1): 273-293. Haldorsen, S., M. J. Van der Ploeg, D. I. Cendón, J. Chen, N. C. B. Jemaa, J. J. Gurdak, R. Purtschert, O. Tujchneider, R. Vaikmae, M. Perez and K. Zouari (2016). “Groundwater and Global Palaeoclimate Signals (G@GPS).” Episodes39(4): 556-567. Halloran, L. J. S., G. C. Rau and M. S. Andersen (2016). “Heat as a tracer to quantify processes and properties in the vadose zone: A review.” Earth-Science Reviews159: 358-373. Halloran, L. J. S., H. Roshan, G. C. Rau and M. S. Andersen (2016). “Calculating water saturation from passive temperature measurements in near-surface sediments: Development of a semi-analytical model.” Advances in Water Resources89: 67-79. Halloran, L. J. S., H. Roshan, G. C. Rau, M. S. Andersen and R. I. Acworth (2016). “Improved spatial delineation of streambed properties and water fluxes using distributed temperature sensing.” Hydrological Processes30(15): 2686-2702. Harun, S., A. Baker, C. Bradley and G. Pinay (2016). “Spatial and seasonal variations in the composition of dissolved organic matter in a tropical catchment: the Lower Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Malaysia.” Environ Sci Process Impacts18(1): 137-150. Höbig, N., R. Mediavilla, L. Gibert, J. I. Santisteban, D. I. Cendón, J. Ibáñez and K. Reicherter (2016). “Palaeohydrological evolution and implications for palaeoclimate since the Late Glacial at Laguna de Fuente de Piedra, southern Spain.” Quaternary International407: 29-46. Hocking, M. and B. F. J. Kelly (2016). “Groundwater recharge and time lag measurement through Vertosols using impulse response functions.” Journal of Hydrology535: 22-35. Holley, C. (2016). “Linking Law and New Governance: Examining Gaps, Hybrids, and Integration in Water Policy.” Law & Policy38(1): 24-53. Holley, C. and D. Sinclair (2016). “Governing water markets: Achievements, limitations and the need for regulatory reform.” Environmental and Planning Law Journal33(4): 301-324. Holley, C. and D. Sinclair (2016). “Regulation, Technology, and Water: “Buy-In” as a Precondition for Effective Real- Time Advanced Monitoring, Compliance, and Enforcement.” George Washington Journalof Energy& Environmental Law7(1): 52-66.

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Holley, C. and D. Sinclair (2016). “Rethinking Australian water law and governance - Successes, challenges and future directions Introduction.” Environmental and Planning Law Journal33(4): 275-283. Howcroft, W., I. Cartwright, L. K. Fifield and D. I. Cendón (2017). “Differences in groundwater and chloride residence times in saline groundwater: The Barwon River Catchment of Southeast Australia.” Chemical Geology451: 154-168. Jiang, Z., G. Mariethoz, C. Schrank, M. Cox and W. Timms (2016). “Mapping the hydraulic connection between a coalbed and adjacent aquifer: example of the coalseam gas resource area, north Galilee Basin, Australia.” Hydrogeology Journal24(8): 2143-2155. Jones, M. D., S. Dee, L. Anderson, A. Baker, G. Bowen and D. C. Noone (2016). “Water isotope systematics: Improving our palaeoclimate interpretations.” Quaternary Science Reviews131: 243-249. Keshavarzi, M., A. Baker, B. Kelly and M. S. Andersen (2016). “River–groundwater connectivity in a karst system, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia.” Hydrogeology Journal: 25(2) 557-574. Kocur, C. M., L. Lomheim, O. Molenda, K. P. Weber, L. M. Austrins, B. E. Sleep, H. K. Boparai, E. A. Edwards and D. M. O’Carroll (2016). “Long-Term Field Study of Microbial Community and Dechlorinating Activity Following Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Stabilized Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron Injection.” Environ Sci Technol50(14): 7658-7670. Lee, S., M. Currell and D. I. Cendón (2016). “Marine water from mid-Holocene sea level highstand trapped in a coastal aquifer: Evidence from groundwater isotopes, and environmental significance.” Sci Total Environ544: 995-1007. Malott, S., D. M. O’Carroll and C. E. Robinson (2016). “Dynamic groundwater flows and geochemistry in a sandy nearshore aquifer over a wave event.” Water Resources Research52(7): 5248-5264. Mahmud, K., G. Mariethoz, A. Baker, P. Treble, M. Markowska, and E. McGuire (2016).“Estimation of deep infiltration in unsaturated limestone environments using cave lidar and drip count data.”Hydrology and Earth System Sciences20(1): 359-373. McDonough, L. K., C. P. Iverach, S. Beckmann, M. Manefield, G. C. Rau, A. Baker and B. F. J. Kelly (2016). “Spatial variability of cave-air carbon dioxide and methane concentrations and isotopic compositions in a semi-arid karst environment.” Environmental Earth Sciences75(8). Meredith, K. T., L. F. Han, S. E. Hollins, D. I. Cendón, G. E. Jacobsen and A. Baker (2016). “Evolution of chemical and isotopic composition of inorganic carbon in a complex semi-arid zone environment: Consequences for groundwater dating using radiocarbon.” Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta188: 352-367. Molnar, I. L., P. C. Sanematsu, J. I. Gerhard, C. S. Willson and D. M. O’Carroll (2016). “Quantified Pore-Scale Nanoparticle Transport in Porous Media and the Implications for Colloid Filtration Theory.” Langmuir32(31): 7841-7853.

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Nagra, G., P. C. Treble, M. S. Andersen, I. J. Fairchild, K. Coleborn and A. Baker (2016). “A post-wildfire response in cave dripwater chemistry.” Hydrology and Earth System Sciences20(7): 2745-2758. Nunez Garcia, A., H. K. Boparai and D. M. O’Carroll (2016). “Enhanced Dechlorination of 1,2-Dichloroethane by Coupled Nano Iron-Dithionite Treatment.” Environ Sci Technol50(10): 5243-5251. Rivett, M. O., M. O. Cuthbert, R. Gamble, L. E. Connon, A. Pearson, M. G. Shepley and J. Davis (2016). “Highway deicing salt dynamic runoff to surface water and subsequent infiltration to groundwater during severe UK winters.” Sci Total Environ565: 324-338. Roshan, H., A. Z. Al-Yaseri, M. Sarmadivaleh and S. Iglauer (2016). “On wettability of shale rocks.” J Colloid Interface Sci475: 104-111. Roshan, H., M. S. Andersen, H. Rutlidge, C. E. Marjo and R. I. Acworth (2016). “Investigation of the kinetics of water uptake into partially saturated shales.” Water Resources Research52(4): 2420-2438. Roshan, H., H. Masoumi and K. Regenauer-Lieb (2017). “Frictional behaviour of sandstone: A sample-size dependent triaxial investigation.” Journal of Structural Geology94: 154-165. Roshan, H., M. Sari, H. Arandiyan, Y. Hu, P. Mostaghimi, M. Sarmadivaleh, H. Masoumi, M. Veveakis, S. Iglauer and K. Regenauer-Lieb (2016). “Total Porosity of Tight Rocks: A Welcome to the Heat Transfer Technique.” Energy & Fuels30(12): 10072-10079. Roshan, H., M. Sarmadivaleh and S. Iglauer (2016). “Shale fracture surface area measured by tracking exchangeable cations.” Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering138: 97-103. Scheiber, L., C. Ayora, E. Vazquez-Sune, D. I. Cendón, A. Soler and J. C. Baquero (2016). “Origin of high ammonium, arsenic and boron concentrations in the proximity of a mine: Natural vs. anthropogenic processes.” Sci Total Environ541: 655-666. Sims, A. W., C. E. Robinson, C. C. Smart, J. A. Voogt, G. J. Hay, J. T. Lundholm, B. Powers and D. M. O’Carroll (2016). “Retention performance of green roofs in three different climate regions.” Journal of Hydrology542: 115-124. Tadros, C. V., P. C. Treble, A. Baker, I. Fairchild, S. Hankin, R. Roach, M. Markowska and J. McDonald (2016). “ENSO-cave drip water hydrochemical relationship: a 7-year dataset from south-eastern Australia.” Hydrology and Earth System Sciences20(11): 4625-4640. Timms, W. and C. Holley (2016). “Mine site water-reporting practices, groundwater take and governance frameworks in the Hunter Valley coalfield, Australia.” Water International41(3): 351-370. Timms, W., R. Crane, D. Anderson, S. Bouzalakos, M. Whelan, D. McGeeney, P.F. Rahman, A. Guinea and R.I. Acworth (2016). “Accelerated gravity testing of aquitard

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core permeability and implications at formation and regional scale.”Hydrology and Earth System Sciences20(1): 39-54 Treble, P. C., I. J. Fairchild, A. Baker, K. T. Meredith, M. S. Andersen, S. U. Salmon, C. Bradley, P. M. Wynn, S. I. Hankin, A. Wood and E. McGuire (2016). “Roles of forest bioproductivity, transpiration and fire in a nine-year record of cave dripwater chemistry from southwest Australia.” Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta184: 132-150. Turner, I. L., G. C. Rau, M. J. Austin and M. S. Andersen (2016). “Groundwater fluxes and flow paths within coastal barriers: Observations from a large-scale laboratory experiment (BARDEX II).” Coastal Engineering113: 104-116. Vogel, L. J., D. M. O’Carroll, T. A. Edge and C. E. Robinson (2016). “Release of Escherichia coli from Foreshore Sand and Pore Water during Intensified Wave Conditions at a Recreational Beach.” Environ Sci Technol50(11): 5676-5684. Zazzeri, G., D. Lowry, R. E. Fisher, J. L. France, M. Lanoisellé, B. F. J. Kelly, J. M. Necki, C. P. Iverach, E. Ginty, M. Zimnoch, A. Jasek and E. G. Nisbet (2016). “Carbon isotopic signature of coal-derived methane emissions to the atmosphere: from coalification to alteration.” Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics16(21): 13669-13680. Zoorabadi, M., S. Saydam, W. Timms and B. Hebblewhite (2016). “Linear flow behaviour of matched joints – case study on standard JRC profiles.” Geomechanics and Geoengineering11(3): 189-200.

Conference abstracts Andersen, M., S. Eberhard, H. Rutlidge, G. Rau, A. Auhl and C. Moll (2016). Biogeochemical processes in the hyporheic zone: the role of flow regime in controlling habitat. Ecological Society of Australia Annaul Conference, Fremantle Western Australia. Andersen, M., H. Rutlidge, S. Eberhard, A. Auhl and G. Rau (2016). Coupling of flow and biogeochemical processes controlling the environmental conditions in the hyporheic zone: Implications for the streambed habitat. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, USA. Auhl, A., H. Rutlidge, M. Andersen, S. Eberhard, A. Baker and C. Holley (2016). Ecohydrological Impacts of Groundwater Drawdown : Effects on Microbial Activity in the Hyporheic Zone. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco. Cendón, D. I., S. I. Hankin, C. E. Hughes, K. Meredith, M. Peterson, L. Scheiber and Y. Shimizu (2016). A Nine-year Record of Groundwater Environmental Tracer Variations in a Weathered Sandstone Plateau Aquifer. American Geophysical Union, San Francisco. Cook, S., W. Timms, B. Kelly, R. Brodie and A. Baker Integrating hydrographic and hydrochemical data using a multivariate statistical approach: A case study in an Australian alluvial aquifer-aquitard system. 43rd IAH international congress Groundwater and Society: 60 years of IAH, Montpellier, France. Eberhard, S., M. Andersen and H. Rutlidge (2016). Out of sight, out of mind: the hyporheic zone is an under-recognised ecosystem service provider. Ecological Society of Australia Annual Conference, Fremantle, Western Australia. CWI CONNECTED WATERS INITIATIVE - ANNUAL REPORT 2016 <47>

Guinea, A., S. Hollins, K. Meredith, S. Hankin and D. Cendón (2016). Geoelectrical Characterization of Hydrological Processes in a Buried Braided River System. European Meeting of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics, Barcelona. Halloran, L., G. Rau, J. Kennedy, C. Li, H. Roshan and M. Andersen Applied thermal methods in unsaturated zone hydrology. International Conference on Porous Media & First Annual Meeting of Australian Chapter of InterPore, Sydney, NSW. Holley, C. Closing Panel - Toward Sustainable Groundwater In Agriculture: Challenges, Observations, & Key Outcomes. Water Education Foundation & UC Davis, ‘Towards Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture’ 2nd International Conference Linking Science and Policy, San Francisco. Holley, C. Future Water: New Directions or Staying the Course? National Law Reform Conference (NLRC), ANU, Canberra. Holley, C. Markets Groundwater and Law. Water Education Foundation & UC Davis, ‘Towards Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture’ 2nd International Conference Linking Science and Policy, San Francisco. Holley, C. National Water Reforms and Pragmatism. Learning from Discretion, The Relevance of Professor Charles Sabel’s Experimental Approach to Australian Public Administration, Canberra. Holley, C. Regulating Water Bore Drillers. Water Education Foundation & UC Davis, ‘Towards Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture’ 2nd International Conference Linking Science and Policy, San Francisco. Holley, C. Roundtable Panel: A Dialogue on Agricultural Nitrogen Management and Policy – Can We Fix Groundwater Nitrate? Public Policy Institute of California & UC Water, Nitrates & Groundwater Workshop, San Francisco. Holley, C. Water Governance and the ACT. Australian Water Associations ‘Water Matters – Canberra 2050’ confrence, Canberra. Holley, C. Water Markets, Regulation and Groundwater- Insights from Australia. 43rd IAH Congress, Montpellier, France. Keshavarzi, M., A. Baker, M. S. Andersen, B. Kelly and C. Fogwill (2016). The transformation of organic carbon during river-groundwater exchange: An example from the Murray-Darling Basin. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, USA. Opitz, J. and W. Timms (2016). Mine water discharge quality – a review of classification frameworks. International Mine Water Association, Leipzig, Germany, International Mine Water Association. Rau, G., I. Turner, M. Austin and M. Andersen Experimental investigation of the flow dynamics within sandy coastal barriers under different water level and wave conditions. Salt Water Intrusion Meeting & Asia-Pacific Coastal Aquifer Management Meeting, Cairns, Australia.

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Roshan, H., H. Masoumi and P. Hagan (2016). On Size-dependent Uniaxial Compressive Strength of Sedimentary Rocks in Reservoir Geomechanics. 50th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Houston, USA. Rutlidge, H., M. Andersen, A. Auhl and S. Eberhard (2016). The importance of the hyporheic zone in processing organic matter in a groundwater-fed stream. Ecological Society of Australia Annual Conference 2016, Fremantle. Rutlidge, H., A. Auhl, M. Andersen, S. Eberhard and A. Baker (2016). Organic Processing In The Hyporheic Zone And The Effect Of Water Balance Changes. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, USA. Timms, W. Conceptual models of risks to shallow aquifers and base flow to streams due to underground mining through geological fault structures. 43rd IAH International Congress - Groundwater and society: 60 years of IAH, Montpellier, France. Timms, W., P. Cai, B. David, H. Masoumi, N. Melkoumian and J. Heo (2016). Fracture Propagation in Layered Sandstones with Varying Saturation. 9th Asian Rock Mechanics Symposium, International Society of Rock Mechanics, Bali, Indonesia.

Reports Andersen, M. S., N. Bond, R. Burrows, S. Eberhard, R. Fensham, R. Froend, M. Kennard, N. Marsh, N. Pettit, R. Rossini, R. Rutlidge, D. Valdez and D. Ward (2016). Research to inform the assessment of ecohydrological responses to coal seam gas extraction and coal mining, Department of the Environment and Energy, Commonwealth of Australia: 338. Holley, C., E. Carmody, B. Cosens, A. Gardner, L. Godden, J. Gray, L. Lee, B. Lindsay, B. Macpherson, R. Nelson, E. O’Donnell, L. O’Neill, K. Owens and D. Sinclair (2016). The future of water reform in Australia — starting a conversation. Australian Environment Review. 31: 132-137. Thorpe, A. and C. Holley (2016). Submission to the NSW Government on ‘Revised Consultative Committee Guidelines for State Significant Projects’.

Other Timms, W. A. (2016). Coal and uranium mining in Australia – groundwater research for productivity and sustainability. Invited lecture at Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, India,. Timms, W. A. (2016). Coal and uranium mining in Australia – groundwater research for productivity and sustainability. Invited lecture at Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India. Timms, W. A. and K. David (2016). Aquifer interactions near longwall mines. Invited presentation NSW Branch meeting of International Association of Hydrogeologists, Albury, NSW. 

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