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University of South Australia researcher Dr Alaa Ahmed and colleagues from the Desert Research Centre in Egypt, and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, have used the iconic Flinders Ranges to demonstrate how precious groundwater can be found without expensive drilling.
Using satellite imagery, geospatial techniques and adding information on drainage, rock types, fractures, topography and rainfall, Dr Ahmed has mapped the Hawker region in the Flinders Ranges into three distinct classifications for groundwater stored in fractured rock aquifers: good, moderate and low.
His study indicates that the most effective groundwater recharge zones (where surface water collects as it moves downwards) are located where there are numerous rock fractures, low drainage and a gentle slope.
Conversely, the least effective areas to find groundwater are underlain by shale and siltstone.
"The remote sensing doesn't cost us anything because existing satellites located above Australia are already taking photos of the topography. We also have the software -- GIS -- to analyse and map all the data," Dr Ahmed says.
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