Wetlands Final

Slaughter Beach

The island town in DE where DGS was sent to study hydrology to identify the cause of increasingly frequent flooding

Light Detection and Ranging

LiDAR

grass

The issue with using LiDAR in marshes results from…

Noise

LiDAR: vertical variability in returns

Bias

LiDAR: estimated ground surface is higher than in reality when interpreting a DEM

MESS

Feed in a set of existing samples and a set of spatial data (vegetation, elevation, etc) to give a map of how “representative” a set of sample points are of a whole study area

Landsat

Long-term satellite imagery program

Blue carbon

Organic carbon stored in estuarine and marine environments

Bog

Receives water input only from precipitation, nutrient poor, acidic, moss vegetation

Fen

Receives water input from surface and ground waters, higher nutrients, less acidic, grass vegetation

Positive water balance

One of the primary processes responsible for peatland development where precipitation > evapotranspiration

Peat accumulation

One of the primary processes responsible for peatland development where productivity > decomposition

Terrestrialization

The filling in of shallow lakes

Paludification

The blanketing of ecosystems by overgrowth

Flow-through succession

Intermediate between terrestrialization and paludification (or topogenous development)

Quaking peatland succession

Filling-in of lake from the surface; partially rooted or floating plants that develop from edges to middle; type of terrestrialization

Raised bogs

Deposits fill entire lake basin, raised above groundwater level; type of terrestrialization

Concentric

Type of raised bog; pools around the bog

Excentric

Type of raised bog; sloping, pools perpendicular to slope

Aapa peatlands

Peatland consisting of strings (peak hummocks perpendicular to slope) and flarks (separated by pools)

Paalsa bog

Peat underlain by ice, frozen peat, and silt

Blanket bog

Sphagnum moss slowly spreads over a bog over many years

Minerotrophic

Rich in mineral nutrients; groundwater inflow into peatlands; aka Rheotrophic

Ombrotrophic

Poor in mineral nutrients; precipitation input; raised bogs

Mesotrophic

Intermediate chemistry or nutrient input based classification

Eutrophic

High nutrient input

Oligotrophic

Very low nutrient input

Ombrogenous

Water input from precipitation only

Geogenous

Water input from something other than precipitation

Limnogenous

Water input from lakes or streams

Topogenous

Water input from groundwater inflow

Soligenous

Water input from regional interflow and surface runoff

decreases

pH ____ with increase in organic content

decomposition

___ is very slow because of waterlogged/anaerobic conditions, low temps, acidic environments, low nutrients

very low

Peatlands have ____ energy outflows; most is used for respiration and peat storage

Linear form

Riparian feature: along a river/stream

Open system

Riparian feature: energy and material from surrounding landscapes converge and pass through in much larger amount

Connection

Riparian feature: functionally connected to upstream and downstream systems and laterally connected to upslope and downslope

Continental gradient

Gradient representing climate effects on hydrology in riparian ecosystems

Intra-riparian longitudinal gradient

Gradient representing how things change from headwaters to coast in riparian ecosystems

V-shaped

Mountain headwater streams cut ___ valleys

Lateral trans-riparian gradient

Gradient representing topography, soil, moisture distribution along the transect from uplands to the stream

Zone of erosion

Watershed geomorphic zone with headwaters, higher altitudes, V-shaped valleys, steep side slopes, narrow riparian zones, large variation in flooding amounts and frequency

Zone of storage and transport

Watershed geomorphic zone with mid-order streams, V or U shaped streams, broad floodplains and meandering streams, coarse sediment near stream banks, fine away from the stream, variable flooding

Zone of deposition

Watershed geomorphic zone with high order low gradient streams, gentle valley slopes, wide floodplains, sinuous and meandering stream channels, seasonal, long-lasting floods

Natural levees

Feature of riparian ecosystem: coarse material deposited on banks

Point bars

Feature of riparian ecosystem: areas of sedimentation on the convex sides of curves

Meander scrolls

Feature of riparian ecosystem: depressions and ridges on the convex side; formed form point bars as the stream migrates laterally

Oxbow lakes

Feature of riparian ecosystem: cutoff of meanders

Sloughs

Feature of riparian ecosystem: areas of dead water in meander scrolls

Backswamps

Feature of riparian ecosystem: deposits of fine sediment

Terraces

Feature of riparian ecosystem: abandoned floodplains created during large floods; created via legacy sediment deposition

more

(more/less) clay content leads to greater accumulation of organic matter in riparian soils

more

Fine grained soils, high clay content will encourage (more/less) anaerobic conditions

River continuum concept

How particulate organic matter and aquatic species change along the length of the river; coarse —> fine

First order

Stream order: coarse particulate matter, mostly invertebrates (shredders, collectors)

Second order

Stream order: broken down matter, invertebrates (collectors, grazers), periphyton

Third order

Stream order: fine particulate matter, invertebrates (collectors), phytoplankton

transformers

Riparian systems behave as ____ along the longitudinal direction, converting inorganic nutrients to organic

Focal species

Saltmarsh sparrow, Nelson’s sparrow, seaside sparrow, clapper rail, willet

decreases

Salinity (increases/decreases) water available to plants

increases

Salinity (increases/decreases) soil flocculation

increases

Salinity (increases/decreases) soil sodicity

increases

Salinity (increases/decreases) ionic concentrations (EC)

increases

Salinity (increases/decreases) physiological stress on aquatic organisms

increases

Salinity (increases/decreases) concentrations of displaced cations

increases

Salinity (increases/decreases) nutrient mobilization

decreased

Salinity (increases/decreases) denitrification

1

Step ___ of restoration: connect stream bed to floodplain

2

Step ___ of restoration: establish vertical grid

3

Step ___ of restoration: establish surface flow and subsurface seepage

4

Step ___ of restoration: plant historically native vegetation

5

Step ___ of restoration: begin monitoring

Clean Water Act

Primary vehicle used for wetland protection; goal of restoring and maintaining the integrity of the nation’s waters

Navigable

Waters of the US (WOTUS)

River and Harbors act of 1899

Act that prevents pollution or obstruction of navigable waters or their tributaries

Section 404 for wetlands

Protects wetlands adjacent to navigable waters, isolated wetlands & streams, intermittent streams, prairie potholes, and other non-tributary waters of which the degradation could affect interstate commerce, and migratory birds

Cropland

From the Three Zone Riparian Buffer Concept: sediment, fertilizer, and pesticides are carefully managed

Zone 3 - runoff control

From the Three Zone Riparian Buffer Concept: concentrated flows are converted to dispersed flows by water bars or spreaders, facilitating ground contact and infiltration

Zone 2 - managed forest

From the Three Zone Riparian Buffer Concept: filtration, deposition, plant uptake, anaerobic denitrification, and other natural processes remove sediment and nutrients from runoff and subsurface flows

Zone 1 - undisturbed forest

From the Three Zone Riparian Buffer Concept: maturing trees provide detritus to the stream and help maintain lower water temperature vital to fish habitat

Stream bottom

From the Three Zone Riparian Buffer Concept: debris dams hold detritus for processing by aquatic fauna and provide cover and cooling shade for fish and other stream dwellers