WETLANDS & WETLAND CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS

1. WHAT IS A WETLAND?? ~ some terms & definitions

Swamp, marsh, bog, fen, wet meadow, peatland, mire, moor, muskeg, bottomland, wet prairie, reedswamp, slough, bayou, pothole, playa

2. MITSCH AND GOSSELINK WETLAND TYPES

A. Coastal

Tidal salt marsh

Tidal freshwater marsh

Mangrove

B. Inland

Freshwater marshes

Northern peatlands

Southern deepwater swamps

Riparian wetlands

3. BRITISH SYSTEM (RIELEY & PAGE)

A. Trophic status

Oligotrophic

Mesotrophic

Eutrophic

Dystrophic

B. Running and standing waters (Minerotrophic)

Streams

Upper reach

Middle reach

Lower reach

Lakes

Fens

Marsh

Swamp

C. Ombrotrophic mires (bogs)

Raised

Basin

Blanket

4. COWARDIN SYSTEM (USFWS)

A. Hierarchy

System, subsystem, class, subclass, special modifiers

B. Systems

Marine

Palustrine

Riverine

Estuarine

Lacustrine

5. HYDROGEOMORPHIC CLASSIFICATION (HGM) (BRINSON)

A. Geomorphic setting

Depressional wetlands

Riverine

Fringe

Peatland

B. Water source

Precipitation

Groundwater discharge

Surface or near-surface flow

Tides, overbank, interflow, overland, stream

C. Hydrodynamics

Vertical movement of water

Unidirectional

Bi-directional