Wetland ecosystems are transitional habitats between terrestrial and aquatic systems that are characterized by periodic or permanent inundation, hydric soils, and vegetation adapted to water-saturated conditions. They encompass diverse types such as marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens, each defined by hydrological regime, nutrient status, and dominant plant functional groups. Wetlands exhibit high biogeochemical activity, particularly in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling, driven by redox gradients and microbial processes under anoxic or fluctuating oxygen conditions. They support high biodiversity, act as sinks or sources of greenhouse gases (e.g., CO₂, CH₄, N₂O), regulate hydrology via water storage and attenuation, and are focal systems in research on ecosystem services, climate feedbacks, and landscape connectivity.
At Everglades National Park in Florida, severe drought dries up not only the habitat that wildlife depends on, but the tourism industry in the largest wetland in the United States.
Environment
May 21, 2025
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Sulfur applied to sugarcane crops in South Florida is flowing into wetlands upgradient of Everglades National Park, triggering a chemical reaction that converts mercury into toxic methylmercury, which accumulates in fish, ...
Environment
May 8, 2025
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Trees, parks, wetlands and green roofs can no longer be seen as a "nice-to-have" aesthetic enhancement but a vital component for creating climate-resilient, healthier and more equitable cities, according to an international ...
Environment
Apr 30, 2025
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Rising temperatures could tip the scale in an underground battle that has raged for millennia. In the soils of Earth's wetlands, microbes are fighting to both produce and consume the powerful greenhouse gas methane. But if ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 23, 2025
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UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Scott Winton has been wading through thick, smelly muck in the tropics for almost a decade. He wouldn't have it any other way. As a wetland ecologist and biogeochemist, ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 15, 2025
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Do you know where your drinking water comes from?
Environment
Apr 15, 2025
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In a drought-hit Mexican border region at the center of growing competition with the United States for water, conservationists are working to bring a once-dying river delta back to life.
Environment
Apr 8, 2025
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As flood threats rise, wetlands across South Carolina could play an important role in fending off high water before it soaks homes, businesses, roads and other property that people depend on.
Earth Sciences
Mar 26, 2025
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Wetlands in the Middle Yangtze River Basin (MYRB) are facing significant ecological challenges due to climate change and human activities. A recent study investigated the spatiotemporal changes in wetland ecological quality ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 25, 2025
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Recent studies have shown that carbon stocks in terrestrial ecosystems are increasing, mitigating around 30% of the CO2 emissions linked to human activities.
Earth Sciences
Mar 20, 2025
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