1317th OGM and 2022 Clarke Memorial Lecture

“Caves as observatories of groundwater recharge”

Professor Andy Baker FRSN FAGU

School of Biological, Earth, and
Environmental Sciences
UNSW Sydney

Date: Wednesday, 8 November 2023, 6.00 pm for 6.30 pm AEDT 
Venue: Metcalfe Auditorium, State Library of NSW, Macquarie Street, Sydney
Entry: Society members, $10; Non-members, $20; Student, $5
Video presentation: YouTube video
All are welcome

Summary: Much of the world relies on groundwater as a water resource, yet it is hard to know when and where rainfall actually replenishes our groundwater aquifers. Caves that are situated above the groundwater table are unique observatories of water transiting from the land surface to the aquifer. This session will show how networks of loggers deployed in Australian caves (and mines and tunnels) have helped understand when, where, and how much rainfall is needed to replenish the groundwater.

Andy Baker is a Professor in the School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences at UNSW Sydney. His research includes the investigation of the climate, soil, and groundwater processes that affect the cave and other subsurface environments. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Royal Society of New South Wales, and in 2022 he was awarded the Royal Society of New South Wales Clarke Medal (Geology) and Lecture for that year.