Publication Date

1-11-1998

Series Number

168

Abstract

In agricultural regions of Western Australia, salinity is spreading. This is because the area taken up by groundwater discharge is increasing as a result of increased groundwater recharge following the replacement of native vegetation systems by annual crops and pasture species. Attempts to reduce groundwater recharge are now being made as it is hoped that this will decrease the rate of land salinisation. At several sites, average recharge rates have been estimated to be from 2% to 13% of the average annu ter hydrographs from the agricultural regions indicate that at some sites recharge does not occur as small amounts every year in a regular manner, but as infrequent, unpredictable, relatively large ©·pisodic' events. At such sites, relatively small incr ses in the water use of annual crops and patures are unlikely to have a significant effect on the magnitude of large episodic pulses of recharge.

Keywords

Rain, Soil types, Lake Grace region (WA), Sandy soils, Wheatbelt region (WA), Groundwater, Beverley region (WA), Salinity, Soil water regimes, Corrigin region (WA), Evaporation, Soil water retention, Modelling, Southern Cross region (WA), South west region (WA), Loam soils, Soil salinity, Western Australia, Evapotranspiration, Models

Disciplines

Geology | Hydrology | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Soil Science

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