Shallow groundwater systems are a critical water source for communities in tropical savanna regions.  Karstic tropical savanna landscapes are particularly vulnerable to water insecurity due to the complexity of subsurface hydrology and dearth of groundwater investigations in these areas. Karst springs provide perennial household water supply and are often culturally and spiritually important landscape features.

Penny’s PhD evaluates the influence of land cover and climate as drivers of groundwater recharge, with a case study in the Haharu district, Sumba, Indonesia. Using an interdisciplinary approach, she specifically investigated the response of groundwater-dependent vegetation communities to climate signals such as ENSO, the characteristics of groundwater recharge, and the influence of land cover on infiltration into the vadose zone.

About the Speaker

Penny is a co-tutelle PhD candidate at the Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University; and the Fenner School of Environment and Society. Her research on groundwater and landcover in Sumba, East Indonesia stems from her experience living there and volunteering with a natural resource management research body in 2010. Penny holds a Masters of Integrated Water Management from the University of Queensland and a Bachelor of Science/Asian Studies from ANU. She has experience in science and policy roles in the Australian, Queensland and NSW governments as well as in tropical rivers research at Griffith University.