A wetland is an area of land consisting of soil that is saturated with moisture, such as a swamp, marsh, or bog. A LAND attack is a DoS (Denial of Service attack that consists of sending a special poison spoofed packet to a computer causing it to lock up Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel A swamp is a Wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water In Geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of Wetland which is subject A bog or mire is a Wetland type that accumulates Acidic Peat, a deposit of dead plant material &ndash usually Mosses but also

As defined in terms of physical geography, a wetland is an environment "at the interface between truly terrestrial ecosystems and aquatic systems making them inherently different from each other yet highly dependent on both"^[1]. Physical geography (also known as geosystems or physiography) is one of the three major subfields of Geography. An ecoregion ( ecological region) sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or " An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( Marine biology is the scientific study of living Organisms in the Ocean or other marine or Brackish bodies of water In essence, wetlands are ecotones. An ecotone is a transition area between two adjacent ecological communities ( Ecosystems. Wetlands often host considerable biodiversity and endemism. Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere In many locations such as the United Kingdom and USA they are the subject of conservation efforts and Biodiversity Action Plans. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The conservation movement also known as nature conservation is a political social and to some extent scientific movement that seeks to protect natural resources including This article is about a conservation biology topic For other uses of BAP see BAP (disambiguation.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers and the United States Environmental Protection Agency jointly define wetlands as "those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetations typically adapted for life in saturated soils. The United States Army Corps of Engineers ( USACE) is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34600 Civilian and 650 Military personnel Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas. "^[2][3]

Characteristics of wetlands

Soils

Wetlands are found under a wide range of hydrological conditions, but at least some of the time water saturates the soil. Hydrology (from Greek Yδωρ hudōr, "water" and λόγος logos, "study" is the study of the movement distribution and quality of Water content or moisture content is the quantity of Water contained in a material such as Soil (called soil moisture) rock, Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel The result is a hydric soil, one characterized by an absence of free oxygen some or all of the time, and therefore called a "reducing environment. A hydric soil is a soil that formed under conditions of saturation flooding or ponding long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part A hydric soil is a soil that formed under conditions of saturation flooding or ponding long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part "

Vegetation

Plants (called hydrophytes or just wetland plants) specifically adapted to the reducing conditions presented by such soils can survive in wetlands, whereas species intolerant of the absence of soil oxygen (called "upland" plants) cannot survive. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Aquatic plants &mdash also called hydrophytic plants or hydrophytes &mdash are plants that have adapted to living in or on aquatic environments Adaptations to low soil oxygen characterize many wetland species.

There are many types of vegetation in wetlands. There are plants such as Cattails, bulrushes, Sedges, Arrowhead, Water Lilies, Blue Flag, and Floaters like common duckweed. Pondweed is also another type of plant that grows in wetlands, but it is not easily seen. Peatland can be dominated by red maple, silver maple, and Elm trees. Some types of trees in peatland can exhibit lower trunks and roots that have adapted to the wet surroundings by forming buttresses,like the cypress, enlarged root bases to better support the trees in the mucky soil. Trees can also form knees, raised roots that allow for gas exchange. Swamps can also have white Cedar, Tamarack, and White Pine. Below the canopy, there are often limited amounts of shrubs such as speckled Alder, Winterberry, and Sweet Gale.

Mangroves are a species of plant which typically thrive in coastal wetlands (called marine or estuarine environments). They are a special tree taxon that can survive in salty wetland water. Mangroves also provide the base for the wetland food chain. They are the producers in the wetland environment. Because mangroves add sulfur to the wetlands, it makes the water more acidic, therefore allowing decomposed matter in the water to biodegrade faster than it normally would, which in turn, provides more food for the organisms in the wetland ecosystem.

Hydrology

Generally, the hydrology of a wetland is such that the area is permanently or periodically inundated or saturated at the soil surface for a period of time during the growing season. The presence (or absence) of water is not necessarily a good method for identifying wetlands because the amount of water generally fluctuates depending on such things as rainfall patterns, snow melt, dry seasons, longer droughts, and tidal patterns. Often the same wetland can appear to be an open body of water some times and a dry field at other times due to significant fluctuations in water levels. The three water sources that contribute to wetlands are:

• precipitation falling within the wetland
• groundwater moving up or out from the subsurface of the wetland
• surface flow from the surrounding watershed or nearby water bodies (lakes, streams, oceans, etc. )

Location determines which of these sources will be contributing water to a wetland.

Topography

Generally, wetlands are located within topographic features that are lower in elevation that the surrounding landscape such as depressions, valleys, and flat areas. Topography plays an important role in determining the size and shape of a wetland by controlling where the water goes and how long it stays there.

Classification

Below are terms used for various types of wetlands:

• A bog or muskeg is acidic peat land (peat bog). A bog or mire is a Wetland type that accumulates Acidic Peat, a deposit of dead plant material &ndash usually Mosses but also Muskeg is an acidic soil type common in Arctic and Boreal areas although it is found in other northern climates as well In Computer science, ACID ( Atomicity Consistency Isolation Durability) is a set of properties that guarantee that Database transactions are
• A moor was originally the same as a bog but has come to be associated with this soil type on hill-tops. Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas characterised by low growing vegetation on Acidic soils
• A moss is a raised bog in Scotland
• A fen is a freshwater peat land with chemically basic (which roughly means alkaline) ground water. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. A fen is a type of Wetland fed by surface and/or groundwater Fens are characterized by their water chemistry which is neutral or Alkaline Fens are different In Chemistry, a base is most commonly thought of as an aqueous substance that can accept Protons This refers to the Brønsted-Lowry theory of acids and In Chemistry, an alkali (from Arabic: Al-Qaly القلي القالي) is a basic, ionic salt of an Alkali metal This means that it contains a moderate or high proportion of hydroxyl ions (pH value greater than 7). Hydroxyl in Chemistry stands for a molecule consisting of an Oxygen atom and a Hydrogen atom connected by a Covalent bond. pH is the measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a Solution.
• A carr is a fen which has developed to the point where it supports trees. It is a European term, mainly applied in the north of the UK.
• A fresh-water marsh's main feature is its openness, with only low-growing or "emergent" plants. In Geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of Wetland which is subject It may feature grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, and other herbaceous plants (possibly with low-growing woody plants) in a context of shallow water. Poaceae or Gramineae is a family in the Class Liliopsida of the flowering plants. The Juncaceae, or the Rush Family, is a rather small monocot Flowering plant family Phragmites australis, the common reed, is a large perennial grass found in Wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the Typha is a Genus of about eleven Species of Monocotyledonous flowering plants in the Monogeneric family Typhaceae Cyperales is a Botanical name for an order of Flowering plants. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. It is an open form of fen.
• A coastal salt marsh may be associated with estuaries and along waterways between coastal barrier islands and the inner coast. A salt marsh is a type of Marsh that is a transitional intertidal between land and salty or Brackish water (e An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open A shoal or sandbar (also called sandbank) is a somewhat Linear Landform within or extending into a body of Water, The plants may extend from reed in mildly brackish water to salicornia on otherwise bare marine mud. Salicornia is a Genus of Succulent, salt tolerant Plants that grow in Salt marshes on Beaches and among Mangroves It may be converted to human use as pasture (salting) or for salt production (saltern). Pasture is land with Herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of Ungulate Livestock as part of a Farm or Ranch. Sea salt, obtained by evaporating Seawater, is used in Cooking and Cosmetics.
• A swamp is wetland with more open water surface and deeper water than a marsh. A swamp is a Wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water In North America, it is used for wetlands dominated by trees and woody bushes rather than grasses and low herbs, but this distinction does not necessarily apply in other areas, for instance in Africa where swamps may be dominated by papyrus.
• A dambo is a shallow, grass-covered depression of the central and southern African plateau which is waterlogged in the rainy season, and usually forms the headwaters of a stream or river. ' Dambo' is a word used for a class of complex shallow Wetlands in central southern and eastern Africa, particularly in Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is marshy at the edges and at the headwater, but maybe swampy in the centre and downstream.
• A mangrove swamp or mangal is a salt or brackish water environment dominated by the mangrove species of tree, such as Sonneratia. Mangroves (generally are Trees and Shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the Tropics and Subtropics. Mangroves (generally are Trees and Shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the Tropics and Subtropics. Species
• A paperbark wetland is a fresh or brackish water environment dominated by the Melaleuca tree. Melaleuca is a Genus of Plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. Melaleuca is a Genus of Plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae.
• A bayou or slough are southern United States terms for a creek amongst swamp. A bayou (pronounced oʊ or uː is a small slow-moving Stream or creek or a lake or pool ( bayou lake) that lies in an abandoned channel of a stream The word slough (in British English ˈslaʊ to rhyme with "cow" in American and Canadian English pronounced /ˈsluː/ "slew" has In an Indian mangrove swamp, it would be called a creek. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country A tidal creek is the portion of a Stream that is affected by ebb and flow of ocean Tides in the case that the subject stream discharges to an ocean sea or strait
• A constructed wetland is artificially contrived wetland, intended to absorb flash floods, clean sewage, enhance wildlife or for some other human reason. A constructed wetland or wetpark is an artificial Marsh or Swamp, created for anthropogenic discharge such as Wastewater, Stormwater A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic lowlying areas - washes rivers and streams Sewage is the mainly liquid Waste containing some solids produced by humans which typically consists of washing water Feces, Urine, laundry waste and other Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants animals and other organisms
• A pocosin is a bog-like wetland dominated by fire-adapted shrubs and trees, found mainly in the southeastern United States on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Pocosin is a term for a type of Palustrine Wetland with deep acidic sandy Peat soils The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Atlantic Coastal Plain is the flat stretch of land that borders the Atlantic Ocean (including the Gulf of Mexico)
• Seasonally flooded basins or flats.
• Inland fresh meadows.
• Inland shallow fresh water.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) produces and provides information on the characteristics, extent, and status of U. S. wetlands and deepwater habitats and other wildlife habitats. The NWI also produces periodic reports on the status and trends of wetlands in the conterminous U. S. The NWI website includes a Wetlands Mapper in which users can view, download, or print maps of digital wetlands information.

Hydrogeomorphic classes

The Hydrogeomorphic (HGM) Approach is a system developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers to classify all wetlands based on three factors that influence how they function: position in the landscape (geomorphic setting), water source (hydrology), and the flow and fluctuation of the water once in the wetland (hydrodynamics). There are seven classes (types) of wetlands in this system:

• riverine
• depressional
• slope
• mineral soil flats
• organic soil flats
• estuarine fringe
• lacustrine fringe

This approach also intends to develop subclasses of wetlands to account for specific conditions of various regions.

Wetlands in drylands

In contrast to wetlands in other biomes (usually permanent and fresh water), wetlands in drylands are more diverse in their composition, depending on the local climate and other particularities of the surroundings. Point Pelee National Park (in French Parc National de la Pointe-Pelée extends from the mainland of Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada. A biome is a climatically and geographically defined area of ecologically similar climatic conditions such as communities of Plants Animals and They can be fresh or saline, permanent, seasonal or temporary, filling intermittently or regularly.
Wetlands in drylands can be attributed all values and uses of wetlands found in other biomes. However, given the stark contrast to their dry surroundings, many of these values are enhanced. This applies to the water balance where gradual release and storage of rainwater by wetlands amid drylands is crucial due to the unpredictability and incalculability of rain. During dry seasons, wetlands in drylands are also pivotal as refugia for wildlife, livestock and people. Moreover, biodiversity levels are higher than in wetlands in other major biomes, in particular because of the accessibility of water amid an otherwise very dry environment. Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth.

Intertidal wetlands

In intertidal wetlands the majority of natural stress comes from salinity and tidal movements. The intertidal wetlands must be able to survive extreme conditions of mainly salt water at high tide, fresh water at low tide and times of flood and brackish water at other times. The saline water is a very difficult condition for plants to survive in. The grey mangrove accomplishes this by excluding salt in the root system, salt glands in the leaf, and waxy leaves to minimize water loss. However it is vulnerable to changes in salinity levels. Changes to tidal movements through increased run-off or altered drainage can cause the roots of mangroves to be inundated for longer than normal periods affecting their pneumatophones. It can also be pushed past its threshold level if water quality is changed. Thus even healthy ecosystems are vulnerable to change. Some species such as oysters and molluscs have been used as indicator species, with any decline in their numbers indicating the ecosystem is under stress. A change in nutrient levels may also affect primary productivity and thus bring about change.

Functions

Hydrologic

Hydrologic functions include long term and short term water storage, subsurface water storage, energy dissipation, and moderation of groundwater flow or discharge. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia,

Examples

By absorbing the force of strong winds and tides, wetlands protect terrestrial areas adjoining them from storms, floods, and tidal damage. Wind is the flow of Air or other Gases that compose an Atmosphere (including but not limited to the Earth's) Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface and strongly implying Severe weather. A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land a deluge Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood

Biogeochemical

Nutrient cycling, retention of particulates, removal of imported elements and compounds, and the import and export of organic carbon are all biogeochemical functions of wetlands. Wetlands remove nutrients from surface and ground water by filtering and by converting nutrients to unavailable forms. Denitrification is arguably the most important of these reactions because humans have increased nitrate worldwide by applying fertilizers. Denitrification is a microbially facilitated process of dissimilatory nitrate reduction that may ultimately produce molecular Nitrogen (N2 through a series of intermediate Increased nitrate availability can cause eutrophication, but denitrification converts biologically available nitrogen back into nitrogen gas, which is biologically unavailable except to nitrogen fixing bacteria. Eutrophication is an increase in chemical Nutrients -- typically compounds containing Nitrogen or Phosphorus -- in an Ecosystem, and may occur Denitrification can be detected in many soils, but denitrification is fastest in wetlands soils^[4].

Examples

Intertidal wetlands provide an excellent example of invasion, modification and succession. The invasion and succession process is establishment of seagrasses. These help stabilize sediment and increase sediment capture rates. The trapped sediment gradually develops into mud flats. Mud flat organisms become established encouraging other life forms changing the organic composition of the soil.

Wildlife habitat

Wetland provide a safe and lush environment for many different species of fish, birds, and insects. It includes the mallard duck, the Sickleback fish, mangroves, and water moccasins.

Plant habitat

Like animals, their are number of plant communites that will only survive in the unique environmental conditions of a wetland. In the continental U. S. wetlands account for only 5 percent of the total land area but over 30 percent of the nation's vascular flora occur in wetlands.

Examples

Mangroves establish themselves in the shallower water upslope from the mudflats. Mangroves further stabilize sediment and over time increase the soil level. This results in less tidal movement and the development of salt marshes. (succession) The salty nature of the soil means it can only be tolerated by special types of grasses e. g. saltbush, rush and sedge. There is also changing species diversity in each succession.

Value to humans

While many of the functions above are directly or indirectly beneficial to humans and society, wetlands are specifically valuable to people as places for recreational and educational activities such as hunting, fishing, camping, and wildlife observation. Wetlands are often filled in to be used by humans for everything from agriculture to parking lots, in part because the economic value of wetlands has only been recognized recently: the shrimp and fish that breed in salt water marshes are generally harvested in deeper water, for example. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture True shrimp are swimming decapod Crustaceans classified in the Infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Humans can maximize the area of healthy, functioning wetlands by minimizing their impacts and by developing management strategies that protect, and where possible rehabilitate those ecosystems at risk.

Wetlands are sometimes deliberately created to help with water reclamation. One example is Green Cay Wetlands in Boynton Beach, Florida in the United States. Green Cay Wetlands and Nature center is located in Boynton Beach Florida. Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States.

Protection and rehabilitation

Historically, humans have made large-scale efforts to drain wetlands for development or to flood them for use as recreational lakes. Since the 1970s, more focus has been put on preserving wetlands for their natural function—sometimes also at great expense. One example is the project by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to control flooding and enhance development by taming the Everglades, a project which has now been reversed to restore much of the wetlands as a natural habitat and method of flood control. The United States Army Corps of Engineers ( USACE) is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34600 Civilian and 650 Military personnel Everglades is also the name of a city in Collier County Florida

The creation of the treaty known as the Ramsar Convention (1971), or more properly "The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat", demonstrates the global concern regarding wetland loss and degradation. The Ramsar Convention is an international Treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of Wetlands i The primary purposes of the treaty are to list wetlands of international importance and to promote their wise use, with the ultimate goal of preserving the world’s wetlands.

Exclusion

Those responsible for the management of wetland areas often facilitate public access to a small, designated area while restricting access to other areas. Provision of defined boardwalks and walkways is a management strategy used to restrict access to vulnerable areas, as is the issuing of permits whilst visiting.

Education

In the past, wetlands were regarded as wastelands. Education campaigns have helped to change public perceptions and foster public support for the wetlands. Due to their location in the catchment area, education programs need to teach about total catchment management programs. Educational programs include guided tours for the general public, school visits, media liaison, and information centers.

United States

In the United States, some wetlands are regulated by the federal government under the Clean Water Act. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. The Clean Water Act is the primary Federal law in the United States governing Water pollution. Determining the boundary between regulated wetlands and non-regulated lands therefore can be contentious. In reality, there is no natural boundary between the classes that humans define on these gradients (wetland/upland), and this issue is highlighted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's definition from Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States, which defines wetlands as "lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems. " Regulations to protect water quality and highway safety require that we create arbitrary boundaries within those gradients, but these boundaries are scientifically definable, and consist of areas where three criterion of the presence of hydric soils, the presence of wetland vegetation, and the presence of appropriate hydrology. A hydric soil is a soil that formed under conditions of saturation flooding or ponding long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part Hydrology (from Greek Yδωρ hudōr, "water" and λόγος logos, "study" is the study of the movement distribution and quality of Such regulations must be predictable, reproducible, and enforced. Otherwise, we will sacrifice clean water for development in the case of wetlands regulation (or vice versa), or sacrifice safe travel for quick travel (or vice versa) in the case of speed limits. Determining which wetlands are regulated under section 404 of the clean water act^[5] or section 10 of the rivers and harbors act is termed "jurisdictional determination". Determining the boundary of wetland, whether jurisdictional under sections 404 or 10, or not jurisdictional but still meeting the technical definition of a wetland, that is having the soils, vegetation and hydrology criterion met is called a "wetland delineation", and generally is performed by college graduates with natural science or biology degrees working for engineering firms or environmental consulting firms who are familiar with the 1987 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wetland delineation manual. The United States Army Corps of Engineers ( USACE) is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34600 Civilian and 650 Military personnel

Defining a boundary depends upon soil and vegetation characteristics; it is easier to do where the slope of the land is steeper. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Deciding if a wetland is a regulated wetland depends on classifying the water in it as "water of the United States" or not. Classifying water as "of the U. S. " or "not of the U. S. " for purposes of enforcing the Clean Water Act suggests a natural boundary that probably does not exist in nature, and one that was not created regarding air for purposes of enforcing the Clean Air Act. Indiana Wetlands are the focus of the US National Wetlands Coalition, which in turn has become the focus of some controversy over "false fronts," a form of political camouflage. The National Wetlands Coalition, founded in 1989 has opposed U Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism

See also: National Wetlands Research Center and Wetlands Reserve Program

See also

• Asmat Swamp (in Indonesia)
• Bog
• Cardiff Bay Wetlands (in Wales UK)
• Flooded grasslands and savannas
• Freshwater swamp forest
• Marsh
• Peat swamp forest
• Salt marsh
• Slough
• Swamp

References

Further reading

• Ghabo, A. A. (2007) Wetlands Characterization; Use by Local Communities and Role in Supporting Biodiversity in the Semiarid Ijara District, Kenya. Terra Nuova East Africa. Wetlands in drylands.

External links

• Wetlands: The Ecological Effect of Loss (Research article)
• Marshlands of Iberá (in English and Spanish)
• Federal Register (1996-08-16). "National Action Plan to Develop the Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Assessing Wetland Functions
• National Wetland Inventory (USA)
• Brinson, M. M. , Hauer, F. R. , Lee, L. C. , Nutter, W. L. , Rheinhardt, R. D. , Smith, R. D. , and Whigham, D. (1995). "A guidebook for application of hydrogeomorphic assessments to riverine wetlands" Technical Report WRP-DE-11, U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS. NTIS No. AD A308 365.

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