Wetlands

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SUBMITTED TO SUBMITTED BY

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR ARYA KRISHNAN

DILIP KUMAR P G 2ND MSC GEOLOGY

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT ,
GOVERNMENT COLLEGE
KOTTAYAM.
 DEFINITIO
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 Wetlands are ecotones or transitional zones between permanently acqatic and dry
teresstial ecosystems,

 -Ramsar conection has defined - - areas of marsh ,fen, peatland ,or water , whether
natural or artificial , permanent or temporary with water that is static or flowing ,
fresh , brackish or salt , including areas of marine water depth of which at low tide
doesnot exceed six meters.

 Globally wetland cover 748- 788 million hectors.

 Wetlands occur in all continents expect Antartica

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Wetlands vary widely based on :-

 Regional and local differences in soil

 Topography

 Hydrology

 Water chemistry

 Vegetation

 Human disturbance
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USE OF WETLANDS

 Flood control

 Ground water replenishment

 Shoreline stabilization and storm protection

 Sedimentand nutrient retention and export.

 Water purification

 Reservoir of biodiversity

 Wetlands products fish clam etc

 Cultural values- eg: traditional indigenous method of farming below sea level.

 Climatic chane mitigation and adaptation

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Threats to wetlands

 Anthropogenic pressures

 Rapidly expanding human evolution

 Improper use of watershed.

 Converting floodplains to aquaculture.

 Planting trees on bogs.

 Draining marshes for agriculture.

 Forestry and urban development

 Mining them for peat

 z Wetland classification scheme

 Coastal wetlands :-

Natural Man-made

 Eustuary Mangrove forest salt pans .

 lagoon salt marsg/ marsh vegetation Aquaculture.

 Backwater other vegetation

 Tidal flat/ split/ bar

 Coral reef

 Roacky coast
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Inland wetlands

 Natural Man-made

 Lake/pods Reservoir

 Ox-bow lakes/ cut-off meanders tanks

 Playas Water logged

 Water logged Abandoned quarries

 Swamp/ marsh ash pond/ cooling pond

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Coastal wetlands

 Sea water mixes with fresh water to form an environment of varying salinities

 Shallow coastal areas are unvegetated mud-flats or sandflats.

 Grasses and grass like plants survive this condition.

 Mangroove swamps with salt loving shrubs or trees are common in tropical climate.
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Non tidal wetlands

 Common in floodpalins along rivers and streams – riparian wetlands

 Isolated depression surrounded by dry lands – playas potholes ans basins

 Along the margins of lakes and ponds.

 Marshes and wet- meadows

 Low-lying areas where the GW intercepts the soil surface or where precipitation
sufficiently saturates the soil vernal pools and bogs.
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NON-TIDAL WETLANDS
 CREEK :- A tidal inlet typically in a salt marsh or mangrove swamp.
Alternatively , between enclosed and drained , former salt marshes or
swamps . In these cases the stream is the tidal stream.

 FEN:-A a type of wetlands fed y ground water or by surface water.the ph is

very low.

 PLAYA :-It is a naturally occurring wetland that contains water only

seasonally. When it rains, they are wet. When it doesn’t rain they are dry.

FORMATION:- GLACIAL FLUCTUATIONS

NATURAL DEPRESSION- over time , chemical reactiom dissolves the

underlying layer, the land surface subsides, creating playa.
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swamps

 Wetlands that feature temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of

land by shallow bodies of water , generally with a substantial number of
hammocks(or dry land potrusions), and covered by acquatic vegetation, or
vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation.

 The swamp may be fresh h20 or saline

 Slow moving H2o . Low lying areas . Rich biodiversity

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estuary

 Semi enclosed coastal body of water with one or more streams flowing into
it, and with a free connection to the open sea or estuary is where river meets
the sea

 Made up of brackish water

 Sedimentation of slit – carriesd I from teresstial runoff from offshore.

 Name like bay, sound fjord.

 Ph salinity and H20 level vary.

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Types of estuary.

 RIA

 FJORD ORFIORD

 SOUND LAGOON
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WETLANDS OF WORLD
 Internationaly important wetland – 2331 ramsar sites

 2.1million square km

 Highest no of sites – U K AND ORINOCK delta map of venenzula.

 1 PANTANAL (BRAZIL, BOLIVIA, PARAGUAY)

 2 CAMARGUE (FRANCE)

 WASUR NATIONAL PARK , INDONESIA

 KAKADU WETLANDS AUSTRA;IA

 OKAVANGO (BOTSWANNA)
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 KAFUE(ZAMBIA)

 EVERGLADES (USA)

 LOWER DANUBE AND DANUBE DELTA (BULGARIA , MOLDOVA, ROMANIA

, SERBIA AND UKRAINE )

 ISIMANGALISO (S. AFRICA)

 KERALA BACKWATERS (INDIA)

 SUNDERBANSA (WEST BENGAL AND BANGLADESH)

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