Solving the Groundwater Challenges of the 21st Century

This volume presents a selection of the outstanding papers presented at the IAH-Congress (groundwater research) in Perth, Australia, 2013, focussing on presenting solutions for groundwater problems world-wide. The incorporation of research into the solution of hydrogeological issues is critical to achieving the best possible solutions and this book discusses the following themes across a range of areas of hydrogeology:
Managing Groundwater Resources; Groundwater and Resources Industries (both mining and hydrocarbons); Surfacewater - Groundwater Interaction; Groundwater Quality and Hydrogeochemistry; Advances in Tools and Techniques; Hydrogeological Applications and Solutions; and Climate and Groundwater

Originally from Canada, Ryan Vogwill (the convener of the IAH congress in 2013) joined the University of Western Australia full time in 2011 after having been part time since 2008. He had previously worked for the Western Australian Department of Water and Department of Environment and Conservation after completing his PhD at Curtin University. Ryan has been the spearhead for development and implementation of the Hydrogeology postgraduate coursework program at UWA. The program is in its 5^th year and going from strength to strength with this year with an intake in 2015 of almost 30 students.

Ryan also supervises higher degree by research students and his research interests include; groundwater dependence of ecosystems, development of new parsimonious models for modelling of long term wetland dynamics and understanding mitigation of altered hydrological regimes, hydrogeology of microbialite bearing coastal wetlands, the role of groundwater in algal blooms in tropical Australia, plant tolerances and thresholds to altered hydrological regimes amongst other topics.

In the future Ryan hopes to stay at UWA, continue to develop the Hydrogeology MSc course and further his research interests. He is currently developing proposals for developing models to predict long term mining impacts to valley floor biodiversity assets in the Pilbara. Ryan is also a keen world traveler with some of his recent trips including destinations like; Greenland, Iceland, Poland, Hawaii, the Rockies in Western Canada, Eastern Canada and the Maldives. Ryan has been involved in the Australian chapter of the IAH since 2000, having had many roles on the Western Australian State and National IAH committees.