Eco-Pros Types of Wetlands

What exactly are wetlands?
Good question, because there are quite a few definitions.

Basically, a wetland is land that is covered with water or land that has water near the surface long enough to keep the soil very moist (waterlogged) so it can grow and support aquatic type plants.

Wetlands can also include land that is covered with water or is saturated with water only part of the year, but has no vegetation because of poor soil, no soil, too much salt, drastic changes in water level, or strong wave action. These lands may be next to vegetated wetland or deepwater habitats, such as around lakes and along rivers.

There are three key elements which identify wetlands:

Hydrophytes
Aquatic plants which grow in water or in soil too waterlogged for most plants to survive

Hydric soils
Soils with an abundance of moisture

Hydrology
Water distribution and circulation on and below the earth's surface and in the atmosphere.

5 MAJOR WETLAND CLASSIFICATIONS
1. Marine	Associated with the open ocean and high-energy coastline waters (includes coastal wetlands, such as tidal marshes)
2. Estuarine	Consisting of deepwater tidal habitats and adjacent tidal wetlands that, at times, have access to the open ocean; occasionally diluting sea water with freshwater runoff.
3. Riverine	Found along rivers and streams
4. Lacustrine	Associated with lakes
5. Palustrine	May be isolated or connected wet areas, including marshes, swamps, and bogs
The above descriptions are very general. Specific descriptions of classifications may be found on the USGS and EPA links below.

Wetland supporting a variety of species

Various Names for Types of Wetland Areas
Bog	Fen	Cypress swamp	Gulf	Estuary
Peatland	Pond	Prairie pothole	Salt marsh	Vernal pool
Mangrove	Riparian area	Brackish marsh	Tundra	Spong
Baylands	Pocosin	Wet meadow	Lagoon	Stream
Taiga	River	Hardwood swamp	Lake	Saltflat
Seep	Slough	Freshwater marsh	Floodplain	Creek
Channel	Wet pasture	Intertidal mudflats	Spring	Reservoir

"Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States" (systems and subsystems)
To begin, click "Next Section--Marine System"
U.S. Geological Survey-Northern Prairie Research Center (includes illustrations)

Wetlands (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Definitions/identification of wetlands, types, status, facts, reasons to protect them, functions/values, fish and wildlife, flood protection, shoreline erosion, water quality and hydrology, threats, economics, recreation and aesthetics, watershed planning, water quality standards, Clean Water Act, 404 permitting, financial assistance, mitigation, monitoring and assessment, restoration, awards, grants - and what you can do to protect wetlands.

Mind - Boggler

There are many names for various types of wetlands, depending upon the environment a wetland is in, the type of climate in the area, the type of vegetation that grows there, the level of the water, the types of animals it supports, whether the water is permanent or only there part of the year, the type of soil, and other variations related to region and local terms. A bog in one area could contain different types of plants than a bog in another area, depending on variances such as climate, for instance.

Therefore, the two definitions of those bogs
would not exactly agree with each other.

Click on our goose friend and catch a ride to the next page
to learn why wetlands are so important.

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WETLANDS