Wetlands are all surface areas of land that are saturated with water for at least part of the year. They are characterized by poorly drained soils, hydrophytic vegetation and biological activity adapted to wet environments. Wetlands occupy the transitional zone on the landscape between the aquatic and upland areas and exhibit some properties of each.

Marshes are wetlands dominated by emergent aquatic vegetation such as grasses, sedges and rushes. Wetlands dominated by wooded vegetation are swamps. The majority of wetlands in Nova Scotia are peatlands - wetlands characterized by an accumulation of peat. Those that depend on precipitation for moisture and nutrients are bogs, dominated by sphagnum mosses. Peatlands fed by water moving through mineral soil and dominated by sedges are known as fens.

Wetlands usually occur in areas containing a high water table or where surface-water flow becomes obstructed. Wetlands can also be artificially created, either indirectly by construction projects, or directly by the building of impoundments for wildlife habitat (see T12.8).

This Document Includes:

Ecological Functions
Wetland Classification

Wetlands Inventory
Peatlands Inventory
Canadian Wetland Classification System
Other Classification Systems

Water Quality of Wetlands
Acid Rain

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Additional Keywords:
paludification, primary peat production, bog, fen, natural organic acids (NOA), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), waste treatment systems

Associated Topics:

T3.2 Ancient Drainage Patterns
T8.1 Freshwater Hydrology
T8.2 Freshwater Environments
T10.12 Rare and Endangered Plants
T11.5 Freshwater Wetland Birds and Waterfowl
T11.13 Freshwater Fishes
T11.15 Amphibians and Reptiles
T11.16 Land and Freshwater Invertebrates
T11.18 Rare and Endangered Animals

Associated Habitats:

H3 Freshwater
H4 Freshwater Wetlands