The products on groundwater numerical modelling present potential changes in groundwater due to coal resource development in bioregions or subregions. The products also describe uncertainties in model outputs.
Groundwater modelling predicts the difference between groundwater levels in two potential futures:
- baseline coal resource development (baseline): a future that includes all coal mines and coal seam gas fields that were commercially producing as at December 2012, known as the baseline coal resource development
- coal resource development pathway (CRDP): a future that includes all coal mines and coal seam gas fields that are in the baseline as well as those that were expected to begin commercial production after December 2012.
The difference in results for these possible futures is due to the additional coal resource development –all coal mines and coal seam gas fields, including expansions of baseline operations, that are expected to begin commercial production after December 2012.
Groundwater numerical models were chosen depending on data and model availability.
Relationship to other products
Results from groundwater modelling were used as inputs for receptor impact modelling (product 2.7), where resulting changes to key characteristics in the landscape or water-dependent assets were estimated.
Predictions from groundwater numerical modelling and receptor impact modelling are further considered in the impact and risk analysis (product 3-4), which examines the risks to, and potential impacts on, water resources and water-dependent assets of coal seam gas or coal mining developments.
- Bioregional Assessment Program
- Lake Eyre Basin bioregion
- Northern Inland Catchments bioregion
- Clarence-Moreton bioregion
- Northern Sydney Basin bioregion
- Sydney Basin bioregion
- Gippsland Basin bioregion
- Indigenous assets
- Bioregional assessment methodology
- Compiling water-dependent assets
- Assigning receptors to water-dependent assets
- Developing a coal resource development pathway
- Developing the conceptual model of causal pathways
- Surface water modelling
- Groundwater modelling
- Propagating uncertainty through models
- Systematic analysis of water-related hazards associated with coal resource development
- Impacts and risks
- Assessment components
- Component 1: Contextual information
- Component 2: Model-data analysis
- Components 3 and 4: Impact and risk analysis
- Component 5: Outcome synthesis
- Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program
- Metadata and datasets