Wetlands are a key link in watershed management. The role that they play in our watersheds is critical to protecting water quality and moderating water quantity. Wetland habitat serves as home for many plants and animals. Even the national—and in many areas the local—economy has a significant connection to wetlands.
Essentially wetlands are the transition between dry land and water streams, rivers, lakes, and coastlines , wetlands take many forms including the familiar marshes, swamps and bogs. Yet, not all wetlands are "wet" year round. These "drier end" wetlands also perform significant wetland functions. Improve water quality by breaking down, removing, using or retaining nutrients, organic waste and sediment carried to the wetland with runoff from the watershed.
Reduce severity of floods downstream by retaining water and releasing it during drier periods. Protect stream banks and shorelines from erosion. Recharge groundwater, potentially reducing water shortages during dry spells. Provide food and other products-such as commercial fish and shellfish-for human use. Provide fish and wildlife-including numerous rare and endangered species-food habitat, breeding grounds, and resting areas.
Increase opportunities for recreation-bird watching, waterfowl hunting, photography-and outdoor education. Without wetlands, we can expect an increase in flooding, decrease of animal, plant and bird species, increase in erosion, decrease in water quality, and lost revenue.
Vegetated riparian wetlands in agricultural areas have proven to remove high percentages of phosphorus and nitrogen from runoff water. Without these wetlands, increased nutrient loading to rivers, streams and lakes could result in algal blooms and over-abundant aquatic plant growth. When these algae and plants die, oxygen in the water is used during the decomposition process. This can result in oxygen deprivation, which may lead to fish kills. When agriculture and development practices impact wetlands, the water storage and flood control capacity of the land decreases, increasing the likelihood of costly flood damage downstream.
Wetlands can help improve water quality by removing or retaining nutrients, organics, and sediment carried by runoff. The flow of water slows as it enters a wetland, which causes sediment in the water to settle out. Many chemicals — fertilizers, human and household wastes, toxic compounds —are tied to sediment and trapped in wetlands. Plants and the biological processes present in a wetland breakdown and convert these pollutants into less harmful substances.
By restoring and utilizing wetland functions, we can reduce the costs of constructing, operating and maintaining drinking water treatment plants. Wetlands "soak up" water during and after a rainy spell. While wetlands "hold" most of the water, some water makes its way to the groundwater supply.
Another way wetlands are valuable to humans is their influence on the flow and quality of water. Wetlands often act like giant sponges, soaking up water that runs off the land. This feature can help slow floodwaters, lower flood heights and reduce shoreline and stream bank erosion.
Preserving natural wetlands can reduce or eliminate the need for expensive flood control structures. Commercial fishermen harvested nearly ten billion pounds of fish in The US Department of Commerce reports that million pounds of brown, white and pink shrimp were harvested in and combined.
Other wetland-reliant products include cranberries, blueberries, wild rice, medicines, pelts and timber. Wetlands contribute to diversity by providing food and habitat that supports a wide variety of plants and animals. Detritus—enriched organic material formed by the decay of plant and animal material in water—is food for insects, shellfish and forage fish. In turn, fish such as striped bass and bluefish , mammals, reptiles and amphibians feed off of the insects and forage fish.
The growth of wetland plants and algae is also nourished by nutrients the provided in the detritus. Wetland plants provide food and shelter for fish and animals. Wetland-dependent mammals include: muskrat, beaver, moose, raccoon, bobcat, rabbit, and white-tailed deer. Bald eagles, ospreys, hawks, egrets, herons and kingfishers are just a few of the birds that thrive in wetlands. The high biological productivity of wetlands makes them vital ecosystems not only to the plants and animals that directly depend on them for food and shelter, but to humans as well.
Revenue is also generated from waterfowl hunters in search of wetland-dependent birds. This includes hunting for geese, ducks, doves, and other game birds. Another recreational outlet is trapping. This, of course, does not include the value of beaver, mink or reptiles such as alligators. The natural beauty and solitude found in wetland areas provides opportunities for bird watching, wildlife photography, painters, hikers and simply relaxing while appreciating the wonders of nature.
A swamp is usually more ticker than a wetland. A wetland is sort of like a lake with plants growing. The difference comes with the stuary. This is the area where a river meets with the ocean at the beach. There is no difference. The term watershed is used to describe a smaller area of land that drains to a stream, lake or wetland. Many watersheds can reside within a large river basin. A pond is a smaller Lake.
Marsh, swamp, lake. Log in. Lakes and Rivers. Study now. See Answer. Best Answer. Study guides. Mcclains 5th grade geography study guide 3 cards. History of India 20 cards. What caused Aryan religion to change over time. Some are isolated from deepwater habitats, and are maintained entirely by ground water and precipitation. Many wetlands are not wet year-round because water levels change with the seasons.
During periods of excessive rain, wetlands absorb and slow floodwaters, which helps to alleviate property damage and may even save lives. Wetlands also absorb excess nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants before they reach rivers, lakes, and other waterbodies.
Water on Earth is constantly in motion due to the process of evaporation and precipitation. The water cycle creates rivers and lakes as water travels from high places down into the sea. The difference between rivers and wetlands is the amount of space and the flow of water. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Wetlands are usually regions where one can usually find water measuring up to 2 feet.
Sometimes, there could be three to four feet water in certain patches along with a lot of vegetation. Static in nature, the wetland waters do not flow at all.
It also has a strong connection with the backwaters and this causes the wetland waters to have salinity. When the tide is high, the salinity levels are pushed a notch higher.
These are the parameters stated by the Ramsar Convention.
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