Deriving Biophysical Products from Airborne Electromagnetic Data

Concerns by the Angas Bremer Irrigators over the future expansion and sustainable use of water resources in the Angas Bremer Plains of South Australia has driven a number of recent initiatives aimed at trying to understand the complex interaction between surface and ground water and, in particular, the effect this has on salinity of these resources and the potential for irrigation-induced salinisation of the region. Among these initiatives is the development of the Angas Bremer Integrated Systems Model which aims to better define strategies for a truly conjunctive approach to water management from the paddock to catchment scale. Key to the successful development of that model is the availability of good biophysical data which describe the spatial variability of salinity and water quality across the region, most particularly in the near surface (<30m). Airborne electromagnetic data have the potential to assist in delivering this information, but they require careful, constrained interpretation and analysis, if they are to deliver products with this information.