Featured Research Team: Professor Adrian Werner, Dr Frank (Hongxiang) Fan, Mr Amin Gholami
Dr Adrian Werner is a Professor of Hydrogeology at Flinders University and a founding member of the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training. Adrian is the lead for Task 3 (Groundwater wetland modelling) and the (Seawater intrusion risk modelling) component of Task 4 for the ‘Adaptation of the South-Eastern drainage system under a changing climate‘ project. We asked Adrian about his research his achievements in this project.
Can you describe your project in two short sentences?
Both Tasks 3 and 4 involved the development of computer models of surface water and groundwater systems within the southeast of South Australia to support decision-making in relation to water availability of the region. Task 3 led to the creation of an interconnected groundwater-surface water model of the Ramsar wetland, Bool Lagoon, while in Task 4, models of the coastal groundwater systems were built to study the distribution of seawater and its movements under the effects of climate variability and groundwater use.
What impact/ benefit will this research bring to the region?
Models like those constructed in this project are essential tools for understanding the movements of water with surface systems and the extensive aquifers of the Limestone Coast, and for managing the freshwater resources within them. Our models were designed with two specific tasks in mind – to provide new understanding of the hydrology of Bool Lagoon (Task 3) and to help determine the location of seawater in the coastal aquifer (Task 4). Surfacewater and groundwater We used remote sensing to assess dynamics in the ponded area of Bool Lagoon, and to evaluate the reliability of the model, while the extent of seawater in the aquifer was compared to airborne electromagnetic surveys that were undertaken concurrently by CSIRO’s team, led by Dr Tim Munday. The model of Bool Lagoon will help the Limestone Coast Landscape Board better understand inflows and outflows and evaluate possible strategies for reducing drought impacts. The models of Limestone Coast coastal aquifers provide unique insights into the occurrence of seawater in the coastal aquifer, as well as freshwater in the aquifers beneath the sea. We also simulated movements in the seawater over a historical period of 44 years and assessed how far inland the seawater might move in the aquifer under various scenarios of future conditions. In this way, the models help to assess the threat of seawater intrusion under both current and future water use and climate stresses.
Whereabouts in the region is the research being done.
Our model of Bool Lagoon includes the wetland itself and surrounding aquifers, covering an area of approximately 23,800 ha. Bool Lagoon is located approximately 24km south of Naracoorte and the karst restoration site is on the south coast east of Port MacDonnell. Five models of seawater intrusion were constructed as vertical (slice) cross sections that extended from around 30 km offshore to about 35 km inland, passing through such landmarks as MacDonnell Bay, south of Lake Bonney, Canunda National Park, Cape Jaffa, and Paranki Lagoon Conservation Park.
Tell us a little about your team.
The models constructed in this project are the first of their kind for the region and represent the cutting-edge of computer simulation. This work will form part of the PhD project of Amin Gholami, who developed the models under the guidance of Adrian Werner and Dr Amir Jazayeri. Other team members contributing to this work include Dr Frank Hongxiang Fan, Dr Cristina Solorzano-Rivas and Mr Ehsan Kamali Maskooni. Both Amir and Cristina worked as postdoctoral fellows during the project, while Amin and Ehsan are PhD students principally supervised by Adrian Werner. Dr Fan is a visiting researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, now in the second year of his extended visit.
For more information visit Professor Adrian Werner, Flinders University
Image L to R: Prof Adrian Werner, Dr Frank (Hongxiang) Fan and Mr Amin Gholami, Flinders University.
