Where Wetlands Form

Where do wetlands form, what types of lands are considered wetlands?

Learning Objectives:

Know where wetlands form

Know the types of wetlands and what factors influence their differences

     Where do wetlands form?

Short answer: Wetlands form where water and land meet. These may be glacial potholes, or old lake beds where water is semi-permanent, being wet in the rainy season and dry the rest of the year. They may be at the fringe of permanent bodies of water. They may be low lying places that fill with water when the water table rises.

Wetlands change over time. A lake with a wetland fringe can fill in with decayed plant and animal material to become a wet meadow. A pond can fill in to become a bog or fen. Sediment can fill in a river marsh to become a swamp. A flood can scour out soil and turn a marsh into open water.

definition of wetlands, characteristics of wetlands, types of wetlands, change over time, functions of wetlands, man-made wetlands,project

 

Wetlands form along bodies of water.  This fresh water marsh is a buffer between a tidal gut and dry land in Washington, DC

park photo