Understanding Aquifers through Groundwater Stories

Summary

Groundwater is an invisible entity in the global water cycle, and often misunderstood, particularly in relation to the effects of climate change on aquifers. Despite being an increasing site of conflict and competing viewpoints (including environmentalists, industrial interests, scientists, agriculturalists, domestic and community users), groundwater has not yet found significant representation in Australian cultural narratives. At the same time climate change is exacerbating unsustainable groundwater extraction levels. ‘Storying’ is a collaborative process which deepens and develops understandings of the “wicked problems” of groundwater’s boundaries (Jarvis, 2014).

Communicating the science of groundwater’s vulnerability accurately entails finding new communication channels and new ways of giving voice to groundwater. The project endeavours to find new and innovative communications to express human interactions with groundwater’s broad geological and ecological frameworks.

Aims and Activities

This project aims to develop scholarly and community knowledge of the place of groundwater in Australian psyche and culture, so as to ensure sustainable groundwater resources.This project aims to develop scholarly and community knowledge of the place of groundwater in Australian psyche and culture, so as to ensure sustainable groundwater resources. Communicating the science of groundwater’s vulnerability accurately entails finding new ways of express human interactions with groundwater’s broad geological and ecological frameworks.

The project will encourage transformative adaptation of groundwater knowledge and representation through interdisciplinary collaborations between creative writers, cultural scholars, groundwater managers and hydrogeologists. By bringing to life the groundwater’s “story”, frameworks for culturally driven narratives will emerge that can be applied to numerous sites where groundwater’s shared uses generate conflict.

Project Team

Dr Deborah Wardle, Teaching Associate

Dr Eddie Paterson, Head of Creative Writing, School of Culture and Communication

Dr Amanda Johnson, Senior Lecturer, Culture and Communication

Dr. Tim Peterson, Senior Hydrogeologist, Infrastructure Engineering

Associate Professor Peter Dahlhaus, Federation University