Multiple isotope tracers reveal the sources of water sustaining ecologically and culturally significant springs, and their vulnerability to mining development

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dc.contributor.authorCampbell, AGen_AU
dc.contributor.authorCartwright, Ien_AU
dc.contributor.authorCendón, DIen_AU
dc.contributor.authorCurrell, MJen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-13T05:23:29Zen_AU
dc.date.available2025-02-13T05:23:29Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2024-12en_AU
dc.date.statistics2025-02-13en_AU
dc.description.abstractThe development of Australia’s largest approved coal mine in the Galilee Basin of northeast Australia will dramatically alter the region’s water resources. The Carmichael Coal Mine is located within eight kilometres of the Doongmabulla Springs Complex, which support endemic flora and fauna and hold crucial cultural significance to the Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners. Uncertainties regarding the source(s) of water to the springs have so far prevented a clear understanding of how mining will affect their long-term health and hydrology. Environmental tracers (including 3H, 14C, 36Cl, 2H, 18O, 13C and 87Sr/86Sr) from 8 springs and 15 surrounding water bores, indicate that multiple sources of water, with vastly different residence times, sustain the Doongmabulla springs. R36Cl (79.1–80.8 x10-15), a14C (47.2–91.1 pMC) and the presence of 3H (up to 0.28 TU) suggest that relatively young water recharged during the Holocene and Late Pleistocene sustains three eastern springs close to the Carmichael mine. Significant R36Cl decay (to between 19.46 x10-15 and 56.94 x10-15) indicates that much older water from the Early-Mid Pleistocene (residence time > 500 ka) sustains springs in the west of the complex, alongside intermediate-aged water fractions (a14C 0.99–––95.73 pMC) and minor modern components (3H up to 0.518 TU). Regional groundwater flow in the Clematis Sandstone (sampled R36Cl values: 22.92 x10-15 ––109.9 x10-15) is likely the predominant source of very old water in the western springs, although contribution from deeper aquifers (e.g., Dunda Beds or Permian coal measures) cannot be ruled out. Aquifer geometry and hydraulic gradients suggest local-scale flow paths in the Clematis Sandstone and Dunda Beds are the likely source of Holocene water that is critical to the eastern springs. The revised understanding of the sources of groundwater implies that both the western and eastern springs are more vulnerable to mining impacts than has been previously assumed. Protection of ecologically and culturally significant springs worldwide from drawdown associated with resource extraction requires robust methods to characterise their water sources and this study presents a multi-isotope tracer approach that may be widely applicable. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).en_AU
dc.description.sponsorshipThis research was supported by an AINSE Ltd. Postgraduate Research Award (PGRA) and an Australian Research Council Linkage Project (project number LP190100713), through which Coast and Country provided field and logistical support. We thank the landowners and managers of pastoral leases on which sampling was undertaken. Thanks to Eddie Banks, Dylan Irvine and Robin Keegan-Treloar for collecting and providing 2019 spring and groundwater samples for analysis. Thanks to Boris Laffineur and Rod Fensham for providing their isotope data and Gail Spargo from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (QLD) for collecting Emerald rainfall samples. Rachelle Pierson (Monash University) and ANSTO support and analytical staff are thanked for their continuous efforts (Fiona Bertuch, Peter Freeman, Vladimir Levchenko, Krista Simon and Klaus Wilcken). We acknowledge the Wangan and Jagalingou People as the traditional owners and custodians of the lands and waters on which this research was conducted, and that sovereignty was never ceded.en_AU
dc.identifier.articlenumber132078en_AU
dc.identifier.citationCampbell, A. G., Cartwright, I., Cendón, D. I., & Currell, M. J. (2024). Multiple isotope tracers reveal the sources of water sustaining ecologically and culturally significant springs, and their vulnerability to mining development. Journal of Hydrology, 645, 132078. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.132078en_AU
dc.identifier.issn0022-1694en_AU
dc.identifier.journaltitleJournal of Hydrologyen_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2024.132078en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://apo.ansto.gov.au/handle/10238/15982en_AU
dc.identifier.volume645en_AU
dc.languageEnglishen_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherElsevieren_AU
dc.subjectTracer techniquesen_AU
dc.subjectAustraliaen_AU
dc.subjectQueenslanden_AU
dc.subjectCoal miningen_AU
dc.subjectWater springsen_AU
dc.subjectHydrologyen_AU
dc.subjectGround wateren_AU
dc.subjectTerrestrial ecosystemsen_AU
dc.subjectIsotopesen_AU
dc.subjectEnvironmental impactsen_AU
dc.subjectPollutionen_AU
dc.subjectEcologyen_AU
dc.subjectMinesen_AU
dc.titleMultiple isotope tracers reveal the sources of water sustaining ecologically and culturally significant springs, and their vulnerability to mining developmenten_AU
dc.typeJournal Articleen_AU
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