River systems and catchments
Australian conventions and resources
The Bureau of Meteorology has information about Australian drainage divisions, river regions and river basins(Opens in a new tab/window).
In Australia, it is important to distinguish between perennial (permanently flowing) and nonperennial (seasonally flowing) rivers and water.
The Australian continent is divided into drainage divisions, which are subdivided into water regions and then into river basins.
Use initial capitals for formal names:
Indian Ocean Division South Australian Gulf Lachlan Catchment
but not for generic or plural uses:
Australia’s drainage divisions lower and upper catchments
Reminder. Initial capitals are used only for formal names. Informal and collective (plural) references to the same item do not need capitals.
Groundwater
International standards and resources
The British Geological Survey provides information on groundwater terminology(Opens in a new tab/window).
Australian conventions and resources
Each state and territory uses its own terminology to describe different sediments and rocks; therefore, the Bureau of Meteorology has produced the National Aquifer Framework(Opens in a new tab/window) (NAF) to provide consistent terminology.
See also the section on groundwater(Opens in a new tab/window) on the Geoscience Australia website.
Most groundwater in Earth’s crust is in aquifers. There are 6 main types of aquifers in Australia. Use lower case for aquifer types:
alluvial coastal fractured rock sedimentary basin paleovalley karst
Use initial capitals for formal names of aquifers:
Great Artesian Basin Carpentaria Basin Leederville Aquifer Yarragadee Aquifer
but lower case for informal (generic) and plural references:
The South Australian aquifers Surat, Bowen and Galilee basins
Reminder. Initial capitals are used only for formal names. Informal and collective (plural) references to the same item do not need capitals.
Hydrogeology
Hydrogeology is the study of the distribution and movement of water in soil and rock.
Sediments and rocks with similar hydrogeologic characteristics are grouped and named into hydrogeologic units. The NAF has 3 tiers: geologic units (typically equivalent to geologic formations), hydrogeologic units (1 or more geologic units that have similar hydrogeologic characteristics and behaviour) and hydrogeologic complexes (collections of hydrogeologic units that, when saturated, are considered part of the same aquifer or aquitard).
Use initial capitals for named hydrogeologic units listed in the NAF:
Cowra Formation Munno Para Clay Hindmarsh Clay Wilson Bluff Limestone
but lower case for informal (generic) and plural references.
Surface water
International standards and resources
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance(Opens in a new tab/window) identifies all significant wetlands internationally.
Australian conventions and resources
The Bureau of Meteorology(Opens in a new tab/window) has information about Australia’s water resources.
Significant wetlands in Australia are listed in the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia(Opens in a new tab/window).
Surface water refers to water that is on Earth’s surface (i.e. excluding groundwater and atmospheric water). Surface water includes oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands and marshes.
Use initial capitals for the formal names of surface water bodies:
Pacific Ocean Murray River Piccaninnie Ponds Karst Wetlands
Use lower case for generic references to surface water:
the bay river systems of the Murray–Darling Basin
Reminder. Initial capitals are used only for formal names. Informal and collective (plural) references to the same item do not need capitals.
Use initial capitals for named drainage divisions and river regions:
South West Coast drainage division Denmark River
Seafloor features have initial capitals if they are formal names; otherwise, use lower case:
Great Barrier Reef Mariana Trench Cape Horn Seamount Gascoyne Abyssal Plain Challenger Deep seafloor
Use lower case for generic and plural terms:
trench continental shelf reef the Ashmore and Cartier reefs
See also:
Water programs and strategies
Use initial capitals for the formal names of national programs and strategies:
National Water Initiative (NWI) National Water Quality Management Strategy (NWQMS) South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program
Use lower case for terms that are not formal names:
catchment management plans but Murray–Darling Basin Plan water-quality guidelines water resource management agencies