Wetland Article
Important factors:
-These havens of biodiversity are often endangered because they can be hard to identify. Understanding their variable characteristics can lead to more successful conservation efforts
-Variously dry, wet or anywhere between, wetlands are by their nature protean. Such constant change makes wetlands ecologically rich; they are often as diverse as rain forests.
– Some wetlands even perform a global function. The northern peat lands of Canada, Alaska and Eurasia, in particular, may help moderate climatic change by serving as a sink for the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
– Wetlands also have commercial and utilitarian functions. They are sources of lucrative harvests of wild rice, fur- bearing animals, sh and shellfish.
– Wetlands limit the damaging effects of
– waves, convey and store headwaters, trap sediment and reduce pollution the last attribute has earned them the sobriquet natures kidneys.
– In the U.S., more than half of these regions in every state except Alaska and Hawaii have been destroyed.
– California and Ohio, for ex- ample, retain only 10 percent of their original expanse.
– No such numbers are available internationally, but we estimate that 6 percent of all land is cur- rently wetlands
– . The extensive losses can generally be attributed to the same feature that makes wetlands so valuable: their ever changing nature. The complex dynamics of wetlands complicate efforts to create policies for preserving them.
– Wetlands These havens of biodiversity are often endangered because they can be hard to identify. Understanding their variable characteristics can lead to more successful conservation efforts
– . If scientists can better clarify and communicate to the public and to policymakers the special characteristics of wetlands as well as their economic and ecological importance, perhaps those that do remain will not disappear.
– Over the years, researchers and government agencies have developed many definitions of wetlands.
– Wetlands can be found in diverse topographical settings. They arise in at, tidally inundated but protected areas, such as salt marshes and mangrove swamps. Wetlands exist next to fresh- water rivers, streams and lakes and their floodplains (such areas are often called riparian). In addition, they form in surface depressions almost any- where. Such wetlands comprise fresh- water marshes, potholes, meadows, playas and vernal pools where vegetation is not woody, as well as swamps where it is.
– Wetlands are often as different in their appearance and in the species they host as they are in the range of saturation they experience in the course of a year or a season.
– Their topographical variety and the complexity of their hydrology have made some wetlands difficult to identify and, hence, difficult to preserve.
– Misunderstanding has also led to many well-intentioned proposals to stabilize water levels in wetlands. The flooding along the Mississippi, Missouri and other rivers last summer was es-
– especially severe because wetlands had been destroyed as people built on them. These ecosystems could no longer serve to absorb floodwater. Of course, the levels of many bodies of water rise and fall.
– In contrast, a wetland encompasses an array of shallow-water and saturated soil environments that possess some elements of a terrestrial system and some of an aquatic system. Because water levels rise and fall continuously, portions of wetlands and, in some cases, entire wetlands at times resemble true aquatic systems, at times terrestrial systems and at times intermediate systems.
– Plants, animals and microbes are constantly adapting and changing. Wetlands also differ from deep-water aquatic systems in their sensitivity to the effects of water-level changes. A one-foot change in the level of a lake or a river brings about little difference in a systems boundaries or functions. But an equivalent change in a wetland can significantly affect both.
– Certain wet- land vegetation’s edges, grasses or floating plants often grows in one lo- cation during a wet year, another location during an intermediate year and not at all during a dry year. Thus, cycles of plant growth can change over time.
– Wetlands can serve as reproductive or feeding sites for some species only if they are connected with other waterways. Moreover, the incoming water brings nutrients and sediments that can make the system more productive. The wetlands then cleanse these waters by retaining sediments as well as phosphorus and other chemicals. Pollutants such as nitrogen can be turned into harmless gases by the aerobic and anaerobic bacteria found there.
– Isolated wetlands arising in topological depressions are quite vulnerable because they are not periodically purged of sediment by storms or high-velocity river ows. Many pothole and kettle-hole wet- lands in the northern American states and the southern parts of Canadian provinces are at just such risk.
– Moreover, the proposal would allow a landowner to select the time of year during which to decide whether or not a particular area constitutes a wet- land. Because such hydric plants are missing at one time or another from most wetland sites, provisions of this kind could be used to dene most wetlands out of existence.
– The bill would require that federal agencies document 21 days of inundation or saturation for all wetlands. This artificial standard would be impossible to meet because water-level records are rarely available, and fluctuations are extremely difficult to predict. The expense of using modeling to foresee water levels is prohibitive
– A wetlands ability to control floodwater or maintain water quality can be seen immediately downstream. But, under the bill, downstream landowners are not compensated for the fact that their wet- lands can no longer fulfill these functions. Further, because of their surroundings, two wetlands of similar size in different locations may have distinctly different attributes, functions and therefore value. Scientifically sound management of wetlands that satisfies every- one is not easy to achieve, but there are signs of hope.
– Water levels vary within relatively well defined rang- es in most wetlands and can therefore provide a foundation for definition and regulation. Soil and geologic information can be gathered to identify long- term shifts. Other criteria can help indicate altered or managed wetlands as well as those that are infrequently flooded.
In 1971 the Ramsar Convention called for the protection of wetlands and for the formulation of national plans to use them wisely. Today 37 million hectares at 582 sites have been designated as Ramsar sites including 1.1 million hectares in the U.S. Nevertheless, only 74 nations have joined the convention. Because of their special characteristics, wetlands pose difficult but not in- surmountable challenges in terms of protection and restoration. If we recognize these features and incorporate them into policies at all levels of government, we can save the remaining wet- lands, from the tropics to the tundra.
Summary:
This article had a lot of facts about the dangers of wetlands and how beneficial it is to save them. Much of the wetlands are endangered because they are hard to identify, and just learning about them and their characteristics will help to conserve them. They are really important because they are by nature protean and they are ecologically rich and are often diverse as rain forest. They have a lot of roles for the environment for example a lot of wetlands help with serving a sink in carbon dioxide in the air. They are also used to cultivate harvest such as rice, fur bearing animals, and shellfish. As seen in the evidence protecting the wetlands are very important they give us food, protection for animals, and reduce carbon dioxide in the air. These are great example why wetlands should be protected but nearly half of the regions have been destroyed in the US. Over the years researchers have been setting goals to help wetlands, but since their complexity of their hydrology have made some wetlands difficult to identify, it is hard to preserve them. So much have been done to wetlands that i will be hard for them to protect us such as when their is floods they wont be able to hold water in so they will cause destruction to land. Wetlands are also essential because they serve as a reproductive or feeding sites for species only if they are connected to other waterways. These types of systems brings nutrients and sediments that can make the system more productive, and cleanse the waters with the sediments. Wetlands are important theirs has been laws where people have seen that taking car of wetlands are important and more awareness has been taken but passing the law to save them would be expensive.
My Thought:
When i read this article i was surprised. I was surprised because i never though that the wetlands provided that much help for us. They provide the reduction of carbon dioxide and now we only have about percent out of all the wetlands we had. That is a big problem because we have a lot f carbon dioxide in the Eco-system and its bringing even more problems. The wetlands are also important by regulating out weather which we really need now because the more problems arising the less resources we have. The one aspect that i agree with is the money, the process is very expensive and makes me think is saving wetlands the most important factor right now. I think about how many others aspects on the whole world is endangered but theirs other aspects that need the money more.The wetlands are also important because they provide nutrients when they are near waterways. they provide homes for different animals, and they help society. In my opinion i believe that wetlands should be taken care of and helped but they shouldn't be the main priority of the government or scientist.
So what? Says who? What if...?What does this remind me of?
-These havens of biodiversity are often endangered because they can be hard to identify. Understanding their variable characteristics can lead to more successful conservation efforts
-Variously dry, wet or anywhere between, wetlands are by their nature protean. Such constant change makes wetlands ecologically rich; they are often as diverse as rain forests.
– Some wetlands even perform a global function. The northern peat lands of Canada, Alaska and Eurasia, in particular, may help moderate climatic change by serving as a sink for the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
– Wetlands also have commercial and utilitarian functions. They are sources of lucrative harvests of wild rice, fur- bearing animals, sh and shellfish.
– Wetlands limit the damaging effects of
– waves, convey and store headwaters, trap sediment and reduce pollution the last attribute has earned them the sobriquet natures kidneys.
– In the U.S., more than half of these regions in every state except Alaska and Hawaii have been destroyed.
– California and Ohio, for ex- ample, retain only 10 percent of their original expanse.
– No such numbers are available internationally, but we estimate that 6 percent of all land is cur- rently wetlands
– . The extensive losses can generally be attributed to the same feature that makes wetlands so valuable: their ever changing nature. The complex dynamics of wetlands complicate efforts to create policies for preserving them.
– Wetlands These havens of biodiversity are often endangered because they can be hard to identify. Understanding their variable characteristics can lead to more successful conservation efforts
– . If scientists can better clarify and communicate to the public and to policymakers the special characteristics of wetlands as well as their economic and ecological importance, perhaps those that do remain will not disappear.
– Over the years, researchers and government agencies have developed many definitions of wetlands.
– Wetlands can be found in diverse topographical settings. They arise in at, tidally inundated but protected areas, such as salt marshes and mangrove swamps. Wetlands exist next to fresh- water rivers, streams and lakes and their floodplains (such areas are often called riparian). In addition, they form in surface depressions almost any- where. Such wetlands comprise fresh- water marshes, potholes, meadows, playas and vernal pools where vegetation is not woody, as well as swamps where it is.
– Wetlands are often as different in their appearance and in the species they host as they are in the range of saturation they experience in the course of a year or a season.
– Their topographical variety and the complexity of their hydrology have made some wetlands difficult to identify and, hence, difficult to preserve.
– Misunderstanding has also led to many well-intentioned proposals to stabilize water levels in wetlands. The flooding along the Mississippi, Missouri and other rivers last summer was es-
– especially severe because wetlands had been destroyed as people built on them. These ecosystems could no longer serve to absorb floodwater. Of course, the levels of many bodies of water rise and fall.
– In contrast, a wetland encompasses an array of shallow-water and saturated soil environments that possess some elements of a terrestrial system and some of an aquatic system. Because water levels rise and fall continuously, portions of wetlands and, in some cases, entire wetlands at times resemble true aquatic systems, at times terrestrial systems and at times intermediate systems.
– Plants, animals and microbes are constantly adapting and changing. Wetlands also differ from deep-water aquatic systems in their sensitivity to the effects of water-level changes. A one-foot change in the level of a lake or a river brings about little difference in a systems boundaries or functions. But an equivalent change in a wetland can significantly affect both.
– Certain wet- land vegetation’s edges, grasses or floating plants often grows in one lo- cation during a wet year, another location during an intermediate year and not at all during a dry year. Thus, cycles of plant growth can change over time.
– Wetlands can serve as reproductive or feeding sites for some species only if they are connected with other waterways. Moreover, the incoming water brings nutrients and sediments that can make the system more productive. The wetlands then cleanse these waters by retaining sediments as well as phosphorus and other chemicals. Pollutants such as nitrogen can be turned into harmless gases by the aerobic and anaerobic bacteria found there.
– Isolated wetlands arising in topological depressions are quite vulnerable because they are not periodically purged of sediment by storms or high-velocity river ows. Many pothole and kettle-hole wet- lands in the northern American states and the southern parts of Canadian provinces are at just such risk.
– Moreover, the proposal would allow a landowner to select the time of year during which to decide whether or not a particular area constitutes a wet- land. Because such hydric plants are missing at one time or another from most wetland sites, provisions of this kind could be used to dene most wetlands out of existence.
– The bill would require that federal agencies document 21 days of inundation or saturation for all wetlands. This artificial standard would be impossible to meet because water-level records are rarely available, and fluctuations are extremely difficult to predict. The expense of using modeling to foresee water levels is prohibitive
– A wetlands ability to control floodwater or maintain water quality can be seen immediately downstream. But, under the bill, downstream landowners are not compensated for the fact that their wet- lands can no longer fulfill these functions. Further, because of their surroundings, two wetlands of similar size in different locations may have distinctly different attributes, functions and therefore value. Scientifically sound management of wetlands that satisfies every- one is not easy to achieve, but there are signs of hope.
– Water levels vary within relatively well defined rang- es in most wetlands and can therefore provide a foundation for definition and regulation. Soil and geologic information can be gathered to identify long- term shifts. Other criteria can help indicate altered or managed wetlands as well as those that are infrequently flooded.
In 1971 the Ramsar Convention called for the protection of wetlands and for the formulation of national plans to use them wisely. Today 37 million hectares at 582 sites have been designated as Ramsar sites including 1.1 million hectares in the U.S. Nevertheless, only 74 nations have joined the convention. Because of their special characteristics, wetlands pose difficult but not in- surmountable challenges in terms of protection and restoration. If we recognize these features and incorporate them into policies at all levels of government, we can save the remaining wet- lands, from the tropics to the tundra.
Summary:
This article had a lot of facts about the dangers of wetlands and how beneficial it is to save them. Much of the wetlands are endangered because they are hard to identify, and just learning about them and their characteristics will help to conserve them. They are really important because they are by nature protean and they are ecologically rich and are often diverse as rain forest. They have a lot of roles for the environment for example a lot of wetlands help with serving a sink in carbon dioxide in the air. They are also used to cultivate harvest such as rice, fur bearing animals, and shellfish. As seen in the evidence protecting the wetlands are very important they give us food, protection for animals, and reduce carbon dioxide in the air. These are great example why wetlands should be protected but nearly half of the regions have been destroyed in the US. Over the years researchers have been setting goals to help wetlands, but since their complexity of their hydrology have made some wetlands difficult to identify, it is hard to preserve them. So much have been done to wetlands that i will be hard for them to protect us such as when their is floods they wont be able to hold water in so they will cause destruction to land. Wetlands are also essential because they serve as a reproductive or feeding sites for species only if they are connected to other waterways. These types of systems brings nutrients and sediments that can make the system more productive, and cleanse the waters with the sediments. Wetlands are important theirs has been laws where people have seen that taking car of wetlands are important and more awareness has been taken but passing the law to save them would be expensive.
My Thought:
When i read this article i was surprised. I was surprised because i never though that the wetlands provided that much help for us. They provide the reduction of carbon dioxide and now we only have about percent out of all the wetlands we had. That is a big problem because we have a lot f carbon dioxide in the Eco-system and its bringing even more problems. The wetlands are also important by regulating out weather which we really need now because the more problems arising the less resources we have. The one aspect that i agree with is the money, the process is very expensive and makes me think is saving wetlands the most important factor right now. I think about how many others aspects on the whole world is endangered but theirs other aspects that need the money more.The wetlands are also important because they provide nutrients when they are near waterways. they provide homes for different animals, and they help society. In my opinion i believe that wetlands should be taken care of and helped but they shouldn't be the main priority of the government or scientist.
So what? Says who? What if...?What does this remind me of?
So what?
Positive: Wetlands are dying off and they should be reserved because they provide homes for animals, reduce carbon dioxide, they produce harvesting for animals and society. Negative: They are expensive and should not be the main priority but they are actually very important for the environment. What if.....? Positive: If the money is put into the process of helping wetlands then it might give a chance to the animals living in that area to reproduce and have a stable home again. Negative: Their might be a chance for might be a chance for less animals to survive which would make the predators adapt to eating something else. |
Says who?
The people that have been researching of course have been scientist, people who spread the message on the science pages online. they have been concerned in spreading it to the people. The government as well has been debating on the problem like using the money to preserve them. What does thi remind me of? This article has not reminded me of everything but it does remind me of the ivory wood pecker video we watched and how their was many animals but litte spavce to have them in and the animals in wetlands might have to deal with that problem. |