Hydrological characteristics of groundwater in a subtropical coastal plain with large variations in salinity: Pimpama, Queensland, Australia*

Abstract The Pimpama coastal plain is situated in southern Moreton Bay, in subtropical eastern Australia. The plain is low lying and tidal and is situated behind a large sand barrier island. Largely due to recent (30 years) drainage networks within the flood plain, surface water quality has declined. Groundwater hydrographs have enabled the determination of different flow systems: a deeper system responding to seasonal weather patterns and a shallower flow system more responsive to individual rainfall events. Elevated potentiometric heads in semi-confined aquifers reflect upward movement of saline to hypersaline groundwaters. However, interaction of this deeper groundwater with shallower groundwater and the surface drains is yet to be determined. Recharge to the shallower system is by direct infiltration while recharge to the deeper system includes a component from landward ranges or bedrock outcrops within the plain. Discrimination between groundwater bodies is possible using salinity, ionic ratios and stable isotopes. Features of groundwater hydrology, the distribution of salinity and variations in water chemistry all suggest that under current conditions infiltration has increased, plus there is a greater landward migration of groundwaters of marine origin.