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Definition: wetland from Philip's Encyclopedia

Ecosystem where the water table lies close to the surface for much of the year. Wetlands include bogs, marshes, swamps and fens. There are both saltwater and freshwater wetlands. Coastal wetlands are said to contain a greater concentration of flora and fauna than any other ecosystem. They are also ecologically valuable as regulators of flooding and the water cycle. Many of the world's wetlands have been drained for farming or housing.


wetlands

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
low-lying ecosystem where the water table is always at or near the surface. It is divided into estuarine and freshwater systems, which may be further subdivided by soil type and plant life into bogs , swamps , and marshes. Because wetlands have poor drainage, the area is characterized by sluggish or standing water that can create an open-water habitat for wildlife. Wetlands help to regulate the water cycle, filter the water supply, prevent soil erosion, and absorb floodwaters. More significantly, however, wetlands serve as spawning and feeding grounds for nearly one third of the endangered animal and plant species in the United States, and their ecological value in most other countries is comparable. Many wetlands were destroyed by urban growth and farming before their value was recognized. More than half of U.S. wetlands in the lower 48 states have been lost since colonial times. Federal wetlands policy today is based on the wetlands provisions (1987) of the Clean Water Act. The…
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Full text Article Wetlands

From Global Social Issues: An Encyclopedia
Wetlands
Wetlands are lands where water thinly covers the soil or is present on or near the surface of land through all seasons or for certain periods of the year. Wetlands support ecosystems of plant and animal life that require water saturation for part or all of the year. Wetlands come in various types, …
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Full text Article wetland

From Science Encyclopedia: Encyclopedia of Marine Science
A land area that is inundated by surface water or groundwater and supports plants and animals especially adapted for life in saturated soil conditions is called a wetland. Wetlands often form the boundary between terrestrial and aquatic systems. The characteristics of a wetland vary in accordance to…
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Full text Article wetlands

From Environmental History and Global Change: A Dictionary of Environmental History
The term covers a great diversity of water-based ecosystems including estuaries and salt marshes , floodplains and deltas , freshwater marshes, peat bogs, forested wetlands and mangroves. In the past they were shunned as undesirable places, sources of disease like malaria or refuges for outlaws. …
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Full text Article wetlands

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
low-lying ecosystem where the water table is always at or near the surface. It is divided into estuarine and freshwater systems, which may be further subdivided by soil type and plant life into bogs , swamps , and marshes. Because wetlands have poor drainage, the area is characterized by sluggish or…
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Full text Article Wetlands

From The Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments
Wetlands occur where soils are temporarily or permanently inundated with fresh, brackish or saline water. The degree to which the soil remains saturated is a major factor influencing the type of plant and animal communities that inhabit particular wetland types. Wetland types include freshwater and…
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Full text Article wetland

From The American Heritage Student Science Dictionary
wetland top to bottom: marsh in Maine, swamp in...
A low-lying area of land that is saturated with moisture, especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife. Marshes, swamps, and bogs are examples of wetlands. wetland A wetland is just what it sounds like — a piece of land that is usually very wet. Wetlands are soggy enough that you…
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Full text Article wetland

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Land or habitat that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that water becomes the dominant feature of the ecosystem of the area. Wetlands include areas of marsh , fen, bog , flood plain, and shallow coastal areas. Approximately 60% of the world's wetlands are peat bogs. …
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Full text Article Wetlands and Reclamation

From International Encyclopedia of Human Geography
Early 20th Century New Zealand...
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. By their very nature wetlands have been difficult to classify because of a multiplicity of attributes—otherwise termed betweenness. Commenting on the modernist project of classifying all of nature, historian of science Stephen. J. Gould noted that there has…
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iSimangaliso Wetland Park (previously known as...
South Africa Criteria - Natural phenomena or beauty; Significant ecological and biological processes; Significant natural habitat for biodiversity The ongoing fluvial, marine and aeolian processes in the site have produced a variety of landforms, including coral reefs, long sandy beaches, coastal…
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Pathways for exposure of coastal wetland...
Abstract Coastal wetlands are a diverse collection of highly valuable habitats that are often exposed to oil spills due to their proximity to petroleum infrastructure. Exposure of coastal wetland biota to oiling results in a range of impacts due to variations in oil type, species present, and many…
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