What are Wetlands?

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Saving Wetlands
Is saving Lives
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prepared by ECOSCI

• The Science and Ecology Club
• The Academy of Mount St. Ursula
• Bronx, NY, USA

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What are Wetlands?

• areas between water and land

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What are Wetlands?

• contain hydric soil - saturated by water.
• soil lacks oxygen when saturated
• land that is seasonally wet.
• habitat for many aquatic and terrestrial species.
  
• Some found only in wetlands.
• Wetland plants known as hydrophytes.

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Formation of Wetlands

• Driven by location.
• Sediment deposited along river.
• Sediment deposited at the mouth of the river.
• Sediment fills in aging lakes.
• Artificial wetlands from oil sands.
• Effort to reclaim wetlands destroyed by mining
  for oil.

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Types of Wetlands
There are Three Major Types of Wetlands

• Marshes
• Bogs
• Swamps

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Types of Wetlands
There are Four Major Types of Wetlands

• Marshes
• Bogs
• Swamps
• Open Water

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Palustrine (no waves) and Estuarine
(tides/waves) Wetlands on Nonfederal Lands and
Water Areas in 2002, in Millions of Acres, with
Margins of Error

• Wetlands Type Acres
• Total Estuarine Wetlands(tides/waves)5.8 0.4
• Palustrine Forested (swamp) 62.2 1.3
• Palustrine Scrub-shrub (swamp) 6.4 0.5
• Palustrine Emergent (marsh) 26.0 0.8
• Palustrine Non-vegetated (pond) 10.2 0.6

Total Palustrine Wetlands 104.8 1.4 Total
Palustrine and Estuarine Wetlands 110.6 1.4
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Marshes

• areas where the soil is periodically or
  permanently flooded with water.
• dominated by soft stemmed grasses
• have shallow water.

fiddlercrabs
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Marshes

• Marsh plants
• - cattails
• - rushes
• - bur weed
• - water lilies

Marsh animals can be very diverse. - Green
heron
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Bogs

• Associated with evergreens
• Usually found in areas with short growing seasons
  and lower temperatures.
• pH less than 5

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Bogs

• Little or no drainage
• Acidified by rotting vegetation,
• Some open water surrounded by a floating mat of
  sedges, sphagnum mosses, and other acid-loving
  species.
• A quagmire, which trembles or gives way
  underfoot.

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Swamps

• dominated by trees and shrubs (woody plants)

• often occur along river floodplains, subtropical
  to tropical coasts and in quiet lakes.
• inhabited by an abundant variety of animals

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Types of wetlands in the US

• Coastal/Tidal wetlands
• salt water and fresh water mix due to tidal
  action.
• Found around the Gulf, Atlantic, Pacific and
  Alaskan coasts.
• Regional example is Jamaica Bay.

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Types of wetlands in the US

• Inland wetlands
• Include marshes, swamps, and wet meadows.
• Great Swamp in New Jersey.

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• Improves water quality.
• Reduces flood and storm damage.
• Regulates water levels in watersheds.
• Provides wildlife habitats

Functions of Wetlands
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Functions of Wetlands (cont)

• Wetlands protect terrestrial areas adjoining them
  from storms, floods and tidal damage.
• Plants in wetlands help to filter pollutants in
  the water.
• Wetlands provide an excellent example of
  invasion, modification and succession.

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WHAT DO WETLANDS PROVIDE?

• support more wildlife and plants than any other
  kind of habitat.
• Provide nesting and feeding grounds for both
  resident and migratory birds, including game
  bird, waterfowl, and songbirds.

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Wetlands Supply

• habitat for 212 animals in Western Washington
• 285 species in the eastern region of the state.
• can produce up to 1,300 pounds of fish per acre.

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Biodiversity of Wetlands (Nattha)

• Wetland serves as a home for many plants and
  animals, ranging from invertebrates, fishes,
  birds, to the endangered species such as Great
  Hornbill and wandering shrew.

Arrowheads
N. American River Otter
Shrew
Pickerel Weed
Great Blue Heron
Great Hornbill
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• It provides animals a variety of food as well as
  shelter to hide from their predators.

Cricket Frog
Many plants and animals have adjusted themselves
into the wet environment.
Yellow Rat Snake
Mangrove
catfish
Crayfish
Bluegill
mudskipper
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Plants
cattail

• There are three types of plants in wetlands the
  emergents, the submergents, and the floating
  plants

Purple loosestrife
pondweed
arrowhead
coontail
bloodroot
Skunk cabbage
duckweed
Yellow lotus
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What happens to the wetlands?

• Some wetlands continue to exist but are degraded
  by the effects of fertilizers, pesticides, and
  oil runoff.

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Destruction of wetlands

• Intrusion of nonnative species
• Draining wetlands for agricultural purposes and
  mosquito control
• Dikes and dams to form ponds and lakes
• Pollution from landfills
• Removal of vegetation
• Air pollution

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The Disappearing Wetlands

• loss of 70,000 - 90,000 acres per year in the
  U.S. (EPA)
• More than half have turned into land.
• Acres lost to new houses, businesses and farms.

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In 200 years

• 11
• 5

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1982 Report to Congress, re 1950s to 1970s 9.2
million acres lost average annual loss of
458,000 acres 87 percent to agriculture. 1991
Report to Congress, re 1970s to 1980s 2.6
million acres lost average annual loss of
290,000 acres agriculture largest single reason
Recent report Rate of wetland loss continues
to decline.

• Fish Wildlife Service
• National Wetlands Inventory (NWI)

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How it Affects the U.S

• Wetland lost ---gt increased salt levels
• The high amount of salt kills vegetation and
  trees.

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How do Wetlands help?

• a key link in watershed management.
• protects water quality
• controls flooding
• serves as home for many plants and animals.
• economy has a significant connection to wetlands.

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Efforts to Conserve Wetlands

• The Nature Conservancy Proposes
• Rehabilitation
• Construction of new wetlands
• The U.S Army Corps of Engineers
• issue permits to control activities in wetlands.
• minimize damage to wetlands.

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Government Action to Preserve Wetlands

• The No-Net-Loss Plan (Dec. 2002)- for every
  acre of wetland lost, it would be replaced with
  an acre of artificial wetland.

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Government Action Effectiveness

• Section 404 of the Clean Water Act was enacted to
  control wetland development
• This law is not effective and has many loopholes.
• Few states have wetland programs
• No true national program to protect wetlands

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Restoration Needed

• Wetlands are in poor conditions
• Man-made wetlands lack a rich biodiversity
• Need to restore to its natural state
• Restoration is a very long and complex process.

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Bibliography

• Know Your Watershed http//www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW
  /Brochures/Wetlands.html
• In Canada's Wilderness, Measuring the Cost of Oil
  Profits http//www.climateark.org/articles/reader.
  asp?linkid47064
• Wetlands Losses in the United States 1780's to
  1980's http//www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/othrdata
  /wetloss/wetloss.htm
• Wetland Loss Index 1780s-1990s http//www.epa.gov/
  iwi/1999sept/iv7_usmap.html
• Wetland Losses in the United States Scope,
  Causes, Impacts, and Future Prospectshttp//www.u
  sgcrp.gov/usgcrp/seminars/9777DD.html

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Saving Wetlands
Saving Lives