Wetlands

Wetlands are areas where water covers or saturates the land, either permanently or seasonally. They are characterized by unique ecosystems that support a wide variety of plant and animal life. Swamps, marshes, and bogs are common examples of wetlands.

Wetlands are vital ecosystems that provide numerous benefits. They act as natural filters for water, help control floods and droughts, and support a wide variety of plant and animal life, including many endangered species. Furthermore, wetlands play a crucial role in climate change mitigation by storing large amounts of carbon.

A significant portion of the world's wetlands have been lost or degraded due to human activities

Key Characteristics:

Waterlogged soil: The defining feature of wetlands is that the soil is saturated with water, either at or near the surface, for extended periods.
Unique Ecosystems: Wetlands are distinct ecosystems with specific types of vegetation adapted to the wet conditions and supporting a diverse range of species.
Varied Water Sources: Wetlands can contain freshwater, saltwater, or a mix of both.
Transitional Areas: Wetlands often exist where land and water meet, acting as a transition zone between deepwater environments and drier uplands.
Examples: Swamps, marshes, bogs, wet prairies, vernal pools, and prairie potholes are all considered wetlands.

Ecological Importance:

Habitat for Diverse Species: Wetlands provide vital habitat for a wide variety of plants, animals, and other organisms, including many endangered and threatened species.

Water Quality Improvement: Wetlands act as natural filters, removing pollutants and excess nutrients from water.

Flood Control: Wetlands can absorb excess water from heavy rainfall or storm surges, helping to reduce flooding in nearby areas.

Erosion Control: The vegetation in wetlands helps to stabilize shorelines and prevent erosion.

Groundwater Recharge: Wetlands can help replenish groundwater supplies by allowing water to percolate into the ground.

Carbon Sequestration: Wetlands can store large amounts of carbon, helping to mitigate climate change, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Recreation and Aesthetics: Wetlands offer opportunities for recreation like fishing, hunting, birdwatching, and simply enjoying the natural beauty.

Human Impact:

Historically Underappreciated: In the past, wetlands were often seen as wastelands and drained for development or agriculture.
Loss of Wetlands: A significant portion of the world's wetlands have been lost or degraded due to human activities.
Importance of Conservation: Recognizing the vital role of wetlands, there is growing emphasis on protecting and restoring these valuable ecosystems, according to the National Park Service.

Here are 5 specific facts about wetlands:

1. Natural Water Filters: Wetlands act like kidneys for the landscape, filtering pollutants and improving water quality. They remove excess nutrients, sediments, and harmful chemicals from water sources.
2. Flood and Drought Control: Wetlands can store large volumes of water, acting as natural sponges that absorb excess rainwater during floods and release it slowly during drier periods, helping to prevent both floods and droughts.
3. Habitat for Biodiversity: Wetlands are incredibly diverse ecosystems, supporting a vast array of plant and animal life. They provide critical habitats for many species, including endangered and threatened animals.
4. Climate Change Mitigation: Wetlands, particularly coastal wetlands like mangroves, are highly effective at absorbing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate climate change.
5. Economic Benefits: Wetlands provide valuable resources like fisheries and timber, and also contribute to tourism and recreation. They also offer protection from extreme weather events like storms and hurricanes.

Tidal Wetlands

Tidal wetlands are "those areas which border on or lie beneath tidal waters, such as, but not limited to banks, bogs, salt marshes, swamps, meadows, flats, or other low lands subject to tidal action, including those areas now or formerly connected to tidal waters, and whose surface is at or below an elevation of one foot above local extreme high water; and upon which may grow or be capable of growing some, but not necessarily all, specific plant species. Tidal wetlands form in "low energy" environments protected from direct wave action. Low marsh areas are flooded by tidal waters twice a day, while high marsh areas are flooded a few times a month. All tidal wetlands support a diverse ecosystem of vegetation and wildlife.

Tidal wetlands are areas of high nutrient and biological productivity that provide detritus, decaying organic matter, that forms the base of the food chain in tidal wetlands. Next to tropical rainforests, tidal wetlands are the most biologically productive resource in the world. Tidal wetlands provide habitat, nesting, feeding, and refuge areas for shorebirds; serve as a nursery ground for larval and juvenile forms of many of the organisms of Long Island Sound and of many estuarine-dependent oceanic species; and provide significant habitat for shellfish.

Connecticut Duck Stamp

Hammonasset River near State Park. Photo by Joe Lanza

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ISLAND ENVIRO LOG

The thoughts and opinions expressed in this web site are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Environmental Committee or the Cedar Island Improvement Association (CIIA) or the Cedar Island Improvement Committee (Executive Committee of the CIIA).

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