CANBERRA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Australian scientists use advanced technology to explore and protect ancient groundwater aquifers that provide 30 percent of the country's water supply.
These ancient underground waters, up to 2 million years old, are crucial for communities, industries like agriculture and mining, and ecosystems, especially in droughts, according to a statement released Thursday by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency.
With Australia being the driest inhabited continent, ensuring sustainable groundwater use is critical amid declining rainfall in many regions, the statement said.
Researchers said a key method to "see" below ground uses sensors measuring underground water drips with geological and climate data to calculate rain needed to recharge aquifers.
Another method uses detailed models to predict groundwater recharge at specific locations.
"We can use these models across hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, by translating them onto different geologies, soils and vegetation," said Kate Holland, principal research scientist at CSIRO.
A breakthrough in studying Australia's groundwater is the TRIFIN, a unique precision instrument that detects tritium, a radioactive hydrogen isotope in rainwater, to accurately measure groundwater recharge rates, according to CSIRO.
CSIRO Senior Principal Research Scientist Dirk Mallants explained that while groundwater can take centuries to refill, tritium indicates water renewed within years or decades.
"Our technology can detect tritium levels in groundwater to tell us how quickly it is being restored," Mallants said, adding that this technology allows groundwater extraction to match recharge rates, preventing overuse and identifying risks like drying bores or contamination. ■
