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Why are wetlands important?

Wetlands provide habitat for thousands of species of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. Wetlands are valuable for flood protection, water quality improvement, shoreline erosion control, natural products, recreation, and aesthetics.

Wetlands are among the most productive habitats on earth providing shelter and nursery areas for commercially and recreationally important animals like fish and shellfish, as well as wintering grounds for migrating birds. Coastal marshes are particularly valuable for preventing loss of life and property by moderating extreme floods and buffering the land from storms; they also form natural reservoirs and help maintain desirable water quality.

Learn more: USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center 

Related Content

link
Brown Marsh in Southeast Louisiana

What is the Brown Marsh phenomenon?

Sudden marsh dieback events are not uncommon and have occurred in coastal marshes from the Gulf of Mexico to Maine. Brown Marsh is a term given to the unusually rapid and extensive browning of Louisiana’s saltwater marsh grass Spartina alterniflora, commonly known as oyster grass or smooth cordgrass. One of the most severe events occurred in 2000, when over 100,000 hectares (ha) of salt marsh were...

link

What is the Brown Marsh phenomenon?

Sudden marsh dieback events are not uncommon and have occurred in coastal marshes from the Gulf of Mexico to Maine. Brown Marsh is a term given to the unusually rapid and extensive browning of Louisiana’s saltwater marsh grass Spartina alterniflora, commonly known as oyster grass or smooth cordgrass. One of the most severe events occurred in 2000, when over 100,000 hectares (ha) of salt marsh were...

Learn More
link
great lakes wetlands

What are wetlands?

Wetlands are transitional areas, sandwiched between permanently flooded deepwater environments and well-drained uplands, where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. They include mangroves, marshes (salt, brackish, intermediate, and fresh), swamps, forested wetlands, bogs, wet prairies, prairie potholes, and vernal pools. In general terms...

link

What are wetlands?

Wetlands are transitional areas, sandwiched between permanently flooded deepwater environments and well-drained uplands, where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. They include mangroves, marshes (salt, brackish, intermediate, and fresh), swamps, forested wetlands, bogs, wet prairies, prairie potholes, and vernal pools. In general terms...

Learn More
Aerial view of southeast Louisiana coastal marshes
link
link
woman sitting on grass writing on paper
link
link
video thumbnail: Recreating wetland-stream complexes in urban watersheds, Howards Branch, Baltimore, Maryland link
video thumbnail: Wade into Wetlands Research link
video thumbnail: Potential Effects of Elevated CO2 and Climate Change on Coastal Wetlands link
video thumbnail: Sea-Level Rise, Subsidence, and Wetland Loss link
video thumbnail: Effects of Sea-Level Rise on Coastal Wetlands in the Mississippi Delta link
video thumbnail: Coastal Louisiana: Impacts of Hurricanes on Salt Marsh and Mangrove Wetlands link
Heron wading through wetlands in New Jersey
link
link

By land, air, and water — U.S. Geological Survey science supporting fish and wildlife migrations throughout North America

Countless species of animals—big game, birds, bats, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and fish—migrate to reach suitable habitats to feed, reproduce, and raise their young. Animal migrations developed over millennia commonly follow migration corridors—unique routes for each species—to move among seasonal habitats. Changes along those corridors, whether from human development (buildings, roads, dams)
By
Ecosystems Mission Area

Desert wetlands—Archives of a wetter past

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are finding evidence of a much wetter past in the deserts of the American Southwest using a most unlikely source—wetlands. Wetlands form in arid environments where water tables approach or breach the ground surface. Often thought of as stagnant and unchanging, new evidence suggests that springs and wetlands responded dynamically to past episodes of
By
Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Using science to strengthen our Nation's resilience to tomorrow's challenges: understanding and preparing for coastal impacts

Hurricane Sandy caused unprecedented damage across some of the most densely populated coastal areas of the northeastern United States. The costly, landscape-altering destruction left in the wake of this storm is a stark reminder of our Nation’s need to become more resilient as we inevitably face future coastal hazards. As our Nation recovers from this devastating natural disaster, it is clear tha
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area

Land-use change, economics, and rural well-being in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States

This fact sheet highlights findings included in a comprehensive new report (see USGS Professional Paper 1800) which investigated land-use change, economic characteristics, and rural community well-being in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States. Once one of the largest grassland-wetlands ecosystems on earth, the North American prairie has experienced extensive conversion to cultivated agr
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Trends and causes of historical wetland loss in coastal Louisiana

Wetland losses in the northern Gulf Coast region of the United States are so extensive that they represent critical concerns to government environmental agencies and natural resource managers. In Louisiana, almost 3,000 square kilometers (km2) of low-lying wetlands converted to open water between 1956 and 2004, and billions of dollars in State and Federal funding have been allocated for coastal re
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Consequences of land use and land cover change

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Climate and Land Use Change Mission Area is one of seven USGS mission areas that focuses on making substantial scientific "...contributions to understanding how Earth systems interact, respond to, and cause global change". Using satellite and other remotely sensed data, USGS scientists monitor patterns of land cover change over space and time at regional, national
By
Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Estuaries of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem: Laboratories of Long-term Change

Restoring the greater Everglades ecosystem of south Florida is arguably the largest ecosystem restoration effort to date. A critical goal is to return more natural patterns of flow through south Florida wetlands and into the estuaries, but development of realistic targets requires acknowledgement that ecosystems are constantly evolving and changing in response to a variety of natural and human-dri
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Hydrology and Ecology of Freshwater Wetlands in Central Florida - A Primer

Freshwater wetlands are an integral part of central Florida, where thousands are distributed across the landscape. However, their relatively small size and vast numbers challenge efforts to characterize them collectively as a statewide water resource. Wetlands are a dominant landscape feature in Florida; in 1996, an estimated 11.4 million acres of wetlands occupied 29 percent of the area of the St

Natural restoration basics for wetlands

Around the world, dams, diversions, and drainage systems reengineer rivers for navigation, farming, and urban development, and this has caused vast changes in the environmental conditions of the flood plains adjacent to these rivers (Middleton, 2002). Even though “flood pulses,” the periodic overflow of these rivers, were once the most important hydrological factor regulating all functions of the
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Global change impacts on mangrove ecosystems

Mangroves are tropical/subtropical communities of primarily tree species that grow in the intertidal zone. These tidal forests are important coastal ecosystems that are valued for a variety of ecological and societal goods and services. Major local threats to mangrove ecosystems worldwide include clearcutting and trimming of forests for urban, agricultural, or industrial expansion; hydrological al
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

National water summary on wetland resources

This National Water Summary on Wetland Resources documents wetland resources in the United States. It presents an overview of the status of knowledge of wetlands at the present time-what they are, where they are found, why they are important, and the controversies surrounding them, with an emphasis on their hydrology. Wetland resources in each State, the District of Columbia (combined with Marylan
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Dakota Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center
link

Invasive Pest May Not Be Only Cause of Recent Louisiana Marsh Die-off

A non-native insect infestation may not be the only factor involved in the ongoing die-back of a marsh grass in the Mississippi River’s “bird foot...

Read Article
link

Changes in Rainfall, Temperature Expected to Transform Coastal Wetlands This Century

Changes in rainfall and temperature are predicted to transform wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico and around the world within the century, a new study...

Read Article
link

New Technique Quickly Predicts Salt Marsh Vulnerability

If coastal salt marshes are like savings accounts, with sediment as the principal, all eight Atlantic and Pacific coast salt marshes studied are "in...

Read Article
link

Drainage of Prairie Pothole Wetlands Can Increase Flooding and Degrade Ecosystems

The drainage of small wetlands can decrease wildlife habitat and may contribute to flooding in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), according to a recent...
Read Article

Related Content

  • FAQ
    link
    Brown Marsh in Southeast Louisiana

    What is the Brown Marsh phenomenon?

    Sudden marsh dieback events are not uncommon and have occurred in coastal marshes from the Gulf of Mexico to Maine. Brown Marsh is a term given to the unusually rapid and extensive browning of Louisiana’s saltwater marsh grass Spartina alterniflora, commonly known as oyster grass or smooth cordgrass. One of the most severe events occurred in 2000, when over 100,000 hectares (ha) of salt marsh were...

    link

    What is the Brown Marsh phenomenon?

    Sudden marsh dieback events are not uncommon and have occurred in coastal marshes from the Gulf of Mexico to Maine. Brown Marsh is a term given to the unusually rapid and extensive browning of Louisiana’s saltwater marsh grass Spartina alterniflora, commonly known as oyster grass or smooth cordgrass. One of the most severe events occurred in 2000, when over 100,000 hectares (ha) of salt marsh were...

    Learn More
    link
    great lakes wetlands

    What are wetlands?

    Wetlands are transitional areas, sandwiched between permanently flooded deepwater environments and well-drained uplands, where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. They include mangroves, marshes (salt, brackish, intermediate, and fresh), swamps, forested wetlands, bogs, wet prairies, prairie potholes, and vernal pools. In general terms...

    link

    What are wetlands?

    Wetlands are transitional areas, sandwiched between permanently flooded deepwater environments and well-drained uplands, where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. They include mangroves, marshes (salt, brackish, intermediate, and fresh), swamps, forested wetlands, bogs, wet prairies, prairie potholes, and vernal pools. In general terms...

    Learn More
  • Multimedia
    Aerial view of southeast Louisiana coastal marshes
    link
    link
    woman sitting on grass writing on paper
    link
    link
    video thumbnail: Recreating wetland-stream complexes in urban watersheds, Howards Branch, Baltimore, Maryland link
    video thumbnail: Wade into Wetlands Research link
    video thumbnail: Potential Effects of Elevated CO2 and Climate Change on Coastal Wetlands link
    video thumbnail: Sea-Level Rise, Subsidence, and Wetland Loss link
    video thumbnail: Effects of Sea-Level Rise on Coastal Wetlands in the Mississippi Delta link
    video thumbnail: Coastal Louisiana: Impacts of Hurricanes on Salt Marsh and Mangrove Wetlands link
    Heron wading through wetlands in New Jersey
    link
    link
  • Publications

    By land, air, and water — U.S. Geological Survey science supporting fish and wildlife migrations throughout North America

    Countless species of animals—big game, birds, bats, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and fish—migrate to reach suitable habitats to feed, reproduce, and raise their young. Animal migrations developed over millennia commonly follow migration corridors—unique routes for each species—to move among seasonal habitats. Changes along those corridors, whether from human development (buildings, roads, dams)
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area

    Desert wetlands—Archives of a wetter past

    Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are finding evidence of a much wetter past in the deserts of the American Southwest using a most unlikely source—wetlands. Wetlands form in arid environments where water tables approach or breach the ground surface. Often thought of as stagnant and unchanging, new evidence suggests that springs and wetlands responded dynamically to past episodes of
    By
    Climate Research and Development Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

    Using science to strengthen our Nation's resilience to tomorrow's challenges: understanding and preparing for coastal impacts

    Hurricane Sandy caused unprecedented damage across some of the most densely populated coastal areas of the northeastern United States. The costly, landscape-altering destruction left in the wake of this storm is a stark reminder of our Nation’s need to become more resilient as we inevitably face future coastal hazards. As our Nation recovers from this devastating natural disaster, it is clear tha
    By
    Natural Hazards Mission Area

    Land-use change, economics, and rural well-being in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States

    This fact sheet highlights findings included in a comprehensive new report (see USGS Professional Paper 1800) which investigated land-use change, economic characteristics, and rural community well-being in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States. Once one of the largest grassland-wetlands ecosystems on earth, the North American prairie has experienced extensive conversion to cultivated agr
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

    Trends and causes of historical wetland loss in coastal Louisiana

    Wetland losses in the northern Gulf Coast region of the United States are so extensive that they represent critical concerns to government environmental agencies and natural resource managers. In Louisiana, almost 3,000 square kilometers (km2) of low-lying wetlands converted to open water between 1956 and 2004, and billions of dollars in State and Federal funding have been allocated for coastal re
    By
    St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

    Consequences of land use and land cover change

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Climate and Land Use Change Mission Area is one of seven USGS mission areas that focuses on making substantial scientific "...contributions to understanding how Earth systems interact, respond to, and cause global change". Using satellite and other remotely sensed data, USGS scientists monitor patterns of land cover change over space and time at regional, national
    By
    Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

    Estuaries of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem: Laboratories of Long-term Change

    Restoring the greater Everglades ecosystem of south Florida is arguably the largest ecosystem restoration effort to date. A critical goal is to return more natural patterns of flow through south Florida wetlands and into the estuaries, but development of realistic targets requires acknowledgement that ecosystems are constantly evolving and changing in response to a variety of natural and human-dri
    By
    Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

    Hydrology and Ecology of Freshwater Wetlands in Central Florida - A Primer

    Freshwater wetlands are an integral part of central Florida, where thousands are distributed across the landscape. However, their relatively small size and vast numbers challenge efforts to characterize them collectively as a statewide water resource. Wetlands are a dominant landscape feature in Florida; in 1996, an estimated 11.4 million acres of wetlands occupied 29 percent of the area of the St

    Natural restoration basics for wetlands

    Around the world, dams, diversions, and drainage systems reengineer rivers for navigation, farming, and urban development, and this has caused vast changes in the environmental conditions of the flood plains adjacent to these rivers (Middleton, 2002). Even though “flood pulses,” the periodic overflow of these rivers, were once the most important hydrological factor regulating all functions of the
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    Global change impacts on mangrove ecosystems

    Mangroves are tropical/subtropical communities of primarily tree species that grow in the intertidal zone. These tidal forests are important coastal ecosystems that are valued for a variety of ecological and societal goods and services. Major local threats to mangrove ecosystems worldwide include clearcutting and trimming of forests for urban, agricultural, or industrial expansion; hydrological al
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    National water summary on wetland resources

    This National Water Summary on Wetland Resources documents wetland resources in the United States. It presents an overview of the status of knowledge of wetlands at the present time-what they are, where they are found, why they are important, and the controversies surrounding them, with an emphasis on their hydrology. Wetland resources in each State, the District of Columbia (combined with Marylan
    By
    Water Resources Mission Area, Dakota Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center
  • News
    link

    Invasive Pest May Not Be Only Cause of Recent Louisiana Marsh Die-off

    A non-native insect infestation may not be the only factor involved in the ongoing die-back of a marsh grass in the Mississippi River’s “bird foot...

    Read Article
    link

    Changes in Rainfall, Temperature Expected to Transform Coastal Wetlands This Century

    Changes in rainfall and temperature are predicted to transform wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico and around the world within the century, a new study...

    Read Article
    link

    New Technique Quickly Predicts Salt Marsh Vulnerability

    If coastal salt marshes are like savings accounts, with sediment as the principal, all eight Atlantic and Pacific coast salt marshes studied are "in...

    Read Article
    link

    Drainage of Prairie Pothole Wetlands Can Increase Flooding and Degrade Ecosystems

    The drainage of small wetlands can decrease wildlife habitat and may contribute to flooding in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), according to a recent...
    Read Article