"Mire A mire (or quagmire) is a wetland type, dominated by living, peat-forming plants. Mires arise because of incomplete decomposition of organic matter, due to waterlogging and subsequent anoxia. Like coral reefs, mires are unusual landforms in that they derive mostly from biological rather than physical processes, and can take on characteristic shapes and surface patterning. There are four types of mire: bog, fen, marsh and swamp. A bog is a mire that due to its location relative to the surrounding landscape obtains most of its water from rainfall (ombrotrophic), while a fen is located on a slope, flat, or"
"types of wetlands: swamp, marsh, fen and bog (both fens and bogs are types of mire). Wetlands are the most productive natural ecosystems in the world because of the proximity of water and soil. Hence they support large numbers of plant and animal species. Due to their productivity, wetlands are often converted into dry land with dykes and drains and used for agricultural purposes. The construction of dykes, and dams, has negative consequences for individual wetlands and entire watersheds. Their closeness to lakes and rivers means that they are often developed for human settlement. Once settlements are constructed and protected"
"Bog A bog is a wetland that accumulates peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses, and in a majority of cases, sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, quagmire, and muskeg; alkaline mires are called fens. They are frequently covered in ericaceous shrubs rooted in the sphagnum moss and peat. The gradual accumulation of decayed plant material in a bog functions as a carbon sink. Bogs occur where the water at the ground surface is acidic and low in nutrients. In some cases, the water is derived entirely"
"both size and geographic location, freshwater marshes make up the most common form of wetland in North America. They are also the most diverse of the three types of marsh. Some examples of freshwater marsh types in North America are: Wet meadows occur in areas such as shallow lake basins, low-lying depressions, and the land between shallow marshes and upland areas. They also occur on the edges of large lakes and rivers. Wet meadows often have very high plant diversity and high densities of buried seeds. They are regularly flooded but are often dry in the summer. Vernal pools are"
"Springs are often in association with uniquely adapted plants and animals. Wetlands require a shallow discharge of groundwater, it flows as a seepage into depressions in the land surface, in some instances wetlands feed off of perched groundwater which is groundwater separated from the regular water table by an impermeable layer. Marshes are a type of wetland and though not directly reliant on groundwater they use it as an area of recharge. Bogs, are also a type of wetland that is not directly reliant on groundwater but uses the presence of groundwater to provide the area with recharge as well"
"swamp, freshwater marsh and brackish marsh. High levels of flooding reduce the abundance of trees, leaving four principal marsh types: saline, brackish, intermediate and fresh. Although these areas make up a very small percentage of the total land found in the United States, southern Louisiana contains 40 to 45 percent of the wetlands found in the lower states. This is because Louisiana is the drainage gateway to the Gulf of Mexico for the Lower Mississippi Regional Watershed. The Lower Mississippi Regional Watershed drains more than 24 million acres (97,000 km) in seven states from southern Illinois to the Gulf of"
"through siltation build-up in floodplain lakes. ""Major wetland type: marsh, swamp, and subterranean karst and cave hydrological systems"" The surface water which is the water visibly seen in wetland systems only represents a portion of the overall water cycle which also includes atmospheric water and groundwater. Wetland systems are directly linked to groundwater and a crucial regulator of both the quantity and quality of water found below the ground. Wetland systems that are made of permeable sediments like limestone or occur in areas with highly variable and fluctuating water tables especially have a role in groundwater replenishment or water recharge."
"at least 80% of the wetland or marsh, only in the northeast is there stretch of open water about in area and several metres deep; a so-called bog pond. With an electrolytic conductivity of 24 µS/cm this wetland is very oligotrophic, it is rich in humus and, with a pH value of 5.0, moderately acidic. It is populated by typical marsh plants like peat mosses, bladderworts and the rare Dwarf White Water Lily (""Nymphaea candida""). In addition to peat mosses, the floating mat pressing in on the bog pond consists mainly of Hare's-tail Cottongrass, Cross-leaved Heath, Common Heather and Crowberry;"
"bog of this type develops from a lake or flat marshy area, over either non-acidic or acidic substrates. Over centuries there is a progression from open lake, to marsh and then fen (or on acidic substrates, valley bog), as silt or peat fill the lake. Eventually peat builds up to a level where the land surface is too flat for ground or surface water to reach the centre of the wetland. Trees in the area that died (in about 3000 BC) and were preserved by the conditions in the bog are being studied by scientists looking for information on the"
"fresh water, brackish water or seawater. Some of the world's largest swamps are found along major rivers such as the Amazon, the Mississippi, and the Congo. A marsh is a wetland composed mainly of grasses and reeds found near the fringes of lakes and streams, serving as a transitional area between land and aquatic ecosystems. A swamp is a wetland composed of trees and shrubs found along large rivers and lake shores. Swamps are characterized by slow-moving to stagnant waters. Many adjoin rivers or lakes. Swamps are features of areas with very low topographic relief. Historically, humans have drained swamps"
"the wooded swamp of the southeastern United States, also known in the United Kingdom as wet woodland. It is a fen overgrown with generally small trees of species such as willow (""Salix spp."") or alder (""Alnus"" spp.). In general, fens may change in composition as peat accumulates. A list of species found in a fen can therefore cover a range of species from those remaining from the earlier stage in the successional development to the pioneers of the succeeding stage. Where streams of base-rich water run through bog, these are often lined by strips of fen, separating ""islands"" of rain-fed"
"Intertidal wetland An intertidal wetland is an area along a shoreline that is exposed to air at low tide and submerged at high tide. This type of wetland is defined by an intertidal zone and includes its own intertidal ecosystems. The main types of intertidal wetlands are mudflats (e.g., mangrove swamps) and salt marshes. The mangrove swamps are encountered along tropical shores and are characterized by tree vegetation, while salt marshes are mostly found in temperate zones and are mostly grass ecosystems. Intertidal wetlands are commonly encountered in most estuaries. Intertidal wetland ecosystems are amongst the most productive plant communities"
"Marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species. Marshes can often be found at the edges of lakes and streams, where they form a transition between the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. They are often dominated by grasses, rushes or reeds. If woody plants are present they tend to be low-growing shrubs. This form of vegetation is what differentiates marshes from other types of wetland such as swamps, which are dominated by trees, and mires, which are wetlands that have accumulated deposits of acidic peat. Marshes provide a habitat for many species of"
"depression and gets most of its water from soil- or groundwater (minerotrophic). Thus while a bog is always acidic and nutrient-poor, a fen may be slightly acidic, neutral, or alkaline, and either nutrient-poor or nutrient-rich. Although marshes are wetlands within which vegetation is rooted in mineral soil, some marshes form shallow peat deposits: these should be considered mires. Swamps are characterized by their forest canopy and, like fens, are typically of higher pH and nutrient availability than bogs. Some bogs and fens can support limited shrub or tree growth on hummocks. For botanists and ecologists, the term peatland is a"
"Wet meadow A wet meadow is a type of wetland with soils that are saturated for part or all of the growing season. Debate exists whether a wet meadow is a type of marsh or a completely separate type of wetland. Wet prairies and wet savannas are hydrologically similar. Wet meadows may occur because of restricted drainage or the receipt of large amounts of water from rain or melted snow. They may also occur in riparian zones and around the shores of large lakes. Unlike a marsh or swamp, a wet meadow does not have standing water present except for"
"to alkaline, as opposed to bogs, where peat accumulates under more acid conditions. Marshes differ depending mainly on their location and salinity. Both of these factors greatly influence the range and scope of animal and plant life that can survive and reproduce in these environments. The three main types of marsh are salt marshes, freshwater tidal marshes, and freshwater marshes. These three can be found worldwide and each contains a different set of organisms. Saltwater marshes are found around the world in mid to high latitudes, wherever there are sections of protected coastline. They are located close enough to the"
"and often constitute a large part of the estuary areas. Intertidal wetland An intertidal wetland is an area along a shoreline that is exposed to air at low tide and submerged at high tide. This type of wetland is defined by an intertidal zone and includes its own intertidal ecosystems. The main types of intertidal wetlands are mudflats (e.g., mangrove swamps) and salt marshes. The mangrove swamps are encountered along tropical shores and are characterized by tree vegetation, while salt marshes are mostly found in temperate zones and are mostly grass ecosystems. Intertidal wetlands are commonly encountered in most estuaries."
"Fen A fen is one of the main types of wetland, the others being grassy marshes, forested swamps, and peaty bogs. Along with bogs, fens are a kind of mire. Fens are minerotrophic peatlands, usually fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. They are characterised by their distinct water chemistry, which is pH neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients. They are usually dominated by grasses and sedges, and typically have brown mosses in general including ""Scorpidium"" or ""Drepanocladus"". Fens frequently have a high diversity of other plant species including carnivorous plants such"
"bog. Temporary flooding by beavers can have negative effects on fens. Shakespeare used the term ""fen-sucked"" to describe the fog (literally: rising from marshes) in ""King Lear"", when Lear says ""Infect her beauty, You fen-sucked fogs drawn by the powerful sun, To fall and blister."" Fen A fen is one of the main types of wetland, the others being grassy marshes, forested swamps, and peaty bogs. Along with bogs, fens are a kind of mire. Fens are minerotrophic peatlands, usually fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. They are characterised by their distinct water chemistry, which is pH neutral or"
"the 1988 study found due to the dry conditions that year. A variety of wetlands exists through the dune lands. Most wetlands are marsh, then aquatic shrub land, swamp, and bog. Marsh habitat includes the Great Marsh. Many muskrats occur in here marshes, Much of the marsh is cattail, with bulrushes, sedges, and sometimes buttonbush. Cowles Bog is a marsh rather than a bog because cattail is the dominant plant. However, it has a floating mat of vegetation typical of a bogs, and it does have some typical bog species grass of Parnassus and pitcher plant. This is very little"
"or bodies of marine water deeper than six metres at low tide lying within the wetlands"". The Ramsar Classification of wetland types includes 42 types which can be broadly divided into: • Marine and coastal wetlands • Inland wetlands • Human-made wetlands Among the richest ecosystems in the world, wetlands have an exceptional value, but are also the most threatened. In the Mediterranean, they support high concentrations of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrate species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. - Key figures on biodiversity in Med region Furthermore, these ecosystems insure directly – and"
"while low water periods allow many rare wetland plants to grow on the emerged sand and clay flats. There are five principal wetland vegetation types. One is swamp, mostly silver maple. There are four herbaceous vegetation types, named for the dominant plant species in them: ""Scirpus"", ""Eleocharis"", ""Sparganium"" and ""Typha"". Which type occurs in a particular location depends upon factors such as substrate type, water depth, ice-scour and fertility. Inland, and mostly south of the river, older river channels, which date back to the end of the ice age, and no longer have flowing water, have sometimes filled with a"
"US$33,000/hectare/year. ""Wetland types: floodplain, closed-depression wetlands, mudflat, salt marsh, mangroves"" Nutrient retention: Wetlands cycle both sediments and nutrients balancing terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. A natural function of wetland vegetation is the up-take, storage, and (for nitrate) the removal of nutrients found in runoff from the surrounding soil and water. In many wetlands, nutrients are retained until plants die or are harvested by animals or humans and taken to another location, or until microbial processes convert soluble nutrients to a gas as is the case with nitrate. Sediment and heavy metal traps: Precipitation and surface runoff induces soil erosion, transporting sediment"
"Marsh gas Marsh gas, swamp gas and bog gas is a mixture of methane, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, produced naturally within some geographical marshes, swamps, and bogs. The surface of marshes, swamps and bogs is initially porous vegetation that rots to form a crust that prevents oxygen from reaching the organic material trapped below. That is the condition that allows anaerobic digestion and fermentation of any plant or animal material which incidentally also produces methane. In some cases there is sufficient heat, fuel and oxygen to allow spontaneous combustion and underground fires to smolder for some considerable time as"
"one of five categories: (1) areas with hydrophytes and hydric soils, such as those commonly known as marshes, swamps, and bogs; (2) areas without hydrophytes but with hydric soils - for example, flats where drastic fluctuation in water level, wave action, turbidity, or high concentration of salts may prevent the growth of hydrophytes; (3) areas with hydrophytes but nonhydric soils, such as margins of impoundments or excavations where hydrophytes have become established but hydric soils have not yet developed; (4) areas without soils but with hydrophytes such as the seaweed-covered portion of rocky shores; and (5) wetlands without soil and"
"and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs and similar areas."" Wetlands vary widely in their salinity levels, climatic zones, supported flora, surrounding geography, whether they are coastal or inland and so on. The main functions performed by wetlands are: water filtration, water storage, biological productivity, and provide habitat for wildlife. Additional functions and uses of wetlands are described in wetland. Wetlands aid in water filtration by removing excess nutrients, slowing the water allowing particulates to settle out of the water which can"
"vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs and similar areas"". This definition has been used in the enforcement of the Clean Water Act. Some US states, such as Massachusetts and New York, have separate definitions that may differ from the federal government's. In the United States Code, the term wetland is defined ""as land that (A) has a predominance of hydric soils, (B) is inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support a prevalence of hydrophytic vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions"
"wetlands is either freshwater, brackish, or saltwater. Wetlands can be tidal (inundated by tides) or non-tidal. The largest wetlands include the Amazon River basin, the West Siberian Plain, the Pantanal in South America, and the Sundarbans in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. The UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment determined that environmental degradation is more prominent within wetland systems than any other ecosystem on Earth. Constructed wetlands are used to treat municipal and industrial wastewater as well as stormwater runoff. They may also play a role in water-sensitive urban design. A patch of land that develops pools of water after a rain storm would"
"small channels - soaks or water tracks - to the steeply sloping shoulder or ""rand"" of the bog. At the foot of the ""rand"", the water collects and meets the water of the surrounding area on the boundary between the peat soil and mineral soil. Lagg (landform) A lagg, also called a moat, is the very wet zone on the perimeter of peatland or a bog where water from the adjacent upland collects and flows slowly around the main peat mass. A lagg is an area of wetland, especially at the edge of raised bogs, in which water collects. It"
"wet meadows are sometimes managed by hay-cutting and grazing. Wet meadow A wet meadow is a type of wetland with soils that are saturated for part or all of the growing season. Debate exists whether a wet meadow is a type of marsh or a completely separate type of wetland. Wet prairies and wet savannas are hydrologically similar. Wet meadows may occur because of restricted drainage or the receipt of large amounts of water from rain or melted snow. They may also occur in riparian zones and around the shores of large lakes. Unlike a marsh or swamp, a wet"
"be ephemeral and intermittent streams. In the USA, the natural types of GIWS are: prairie pothole wetlands, playas, Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin and Sandhills wetlands, West Coast vernal pools, sinkhole wetlands, Carolina bays, intradunal and interdunal wetlands, desert springs, endorheic basin in the Great Basin, and kettle-hole in glaciated regions. Non-floodplain wetlands are classified in three categories which include GIWs: depressional wetlands, slope wetlands and flats wetlands. Depressional wetlands occur in topographic depressions with or without surface outlets. Depressional wetlands include kettle holes, potholes, vernal pools, playas lake and Carolina bays. Slope wetlands are located along hillslopes and are mainly recharged"
"Blanket bog Blanket bog or blanket mire, also known as featherbed bog, is an area of peatland, forming where there is a climate of high rainfall and a low level of evapotranspiration, allowing peat to develop not only in wet hollows but over large expanses of undulating ground. The blanketing of the ground with a variable depth of peat gives the habitat type its name. Blanket bogs are found extensively throughout the northern hemisphere - well-studied examples are found in Ireland and Britain, but vast areas of the Russian and North American tundra also qualify as blanket bogs. In the"
"inundated such that the soils become anaerobic, and those conditions will persist through the wet portion of the growing season. The most important factor producing wetlands is flooding. The duration of flooding or prolonged soil saturation by groundwater determines whether the resulting wetland has aquatic, marsh or swamp vegetation. Other important factors include fertility, natural disturbance, competition, herbivory, burial and salinity. When peat accumulates, bogs and fens arise. Wetlands vary widely due to local and regional differences in topography, hydrology, vegetation, and other factors, including human involvement. Wetland hydrology is associated with the spatial and temporal dispersion, flow, and physio-chemical"