River Ecosystem – The Wetlands and their place in the water cycle
What that means to you.
Introduction:
Wetlands are fresh water, brackish or salt water bodies, inland or coastal, seasonal or permanent,
natural or man-made. We call them mangrove swamps, peat swamps, marches, rivers, lakes,
floodplains and flooded- forests, rice-fields, and coral reefs. Wetlands support a large number of
plants and animals, they are were nutrients from the land drain into the water systems of the
continents. As a result they are important in surface water purification. Can we use this
characteristic to help clean our waste water?
General information:
Importance of wetlands in water quality control
http://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/cop7-docs/NON-RESRECS%20FINAL/COP7%2016.1E.pdf
water purification
retention of nutrients
retention of sediments
retention of pollutants
Local Climate Regulation
Stabilization of local climate
Regulation of rainfall & temperature
Reduction of evaportranspiration
READ THIS PLEASE, RUBRIC AND EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW START COLLECTING
INFORMATION.
What needs to be in the paper or points to cover in the paper? You need at least
one good paragraph of 6-8 sentences for each of these points, some will need
more.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What is a wetland, where are they, the plants and animals that live in a wetland, climate ranges of
conditions and temperature.
What enters and leaves a wetland ; sources of water, what that water brings with it, what gets left in the
wetland and what flows out of the wetlands
How the mixture of plants and animals change water quality e.g. estuaries the plant types slow flow from
the land to the sea- helps prevent algae blooms, and mussels- clams, shellfish remove toxic elements so
how they purify water, control flooding. At least 2 good paragraphs with citations
How humans can use this traits to purify our waste water
Examples of places that do this, land required, types of plants and animals they use, flow time from time
waste water enters to leaves, quality of leaving water.
Summary paragraph the conclusions of if we can use the ways of nature to reintroduce our used water
and safely return it to the water cycle.
Some search terms
What are wetlands?
Nature of wetlands
Wetlands and the water cycle
Wetlands how they purify water
Plants and animals of wetlands that purify water
How communities are using wetlands to purify their waste water
Some References
General background
Bacon, Peter, R. (1999) The role of wetlands in the water cycle. People and Wetlands: The Vital
Link. Conference of the contracting parties to the convention on wetlands. San Jose, Costa Rica
May10-18, 1999. http://www.ramsar.org/sites/default/files/documents/cop7-docs/NONRESRECS%20FINAL/COP7%2016.1E.pdf
Bullock, Andy and Acreman, Mike, (2003) The role of wetlands in the hydrological cycle. NASA
from Hydrology and Earth Systems Sciences, 7(3), 358-389.
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003HESS....7..358B article as pdf http://www.hydrol-earth-systsci.net/7/358/2003/hess-7-358-2003.pdf
EPA. (2016). Wetlands. http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/nature.cfm
Check out their fact sheets at http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/outreach/facts_contents.cfm
Evans, Robert, Gilliam, J.W. and Lilly, J.P. (1006) Wetlands and Water Quality. North Carolina
cooperative Extension Service AG-473-7
http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/evans/ag473-7.html
Miller, Brian. Wetlands and Water Quality WQ-10, Purdue University Cooperative
Extension Service, West Lafayette, Indiana. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/WQ/WQ10.html
North Carolina State University Extension Information on Wetlands main menu
http://www.water.ncsu.edu/watershedss/info/wetlands/index.html
North Carolina State University Extension Function of WETLANDS (processes).
http://www.water.ncsu.edu/watershedss/info/wetlands/function.html
Department of Ecology State of Washington. Water purification: Functions and values of wetlands
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/wetlands/functions.html
Links plants water and animals
EPA. (2016). Wetlands. http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/nature.cfm
Check out their fact sheets at http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/outreach/facts_contents.cfm
BioExpeditition. (2015)Wetland biome. http://www.bioexpedition.com/wetland-biome/
North Carolina State University Extension Information on Wetlands main menu
http://www.water.ncsu.edu/watershedss/info/wetlands/index.html
Mediterranean wetlands observatory. Roles of wetlands in water purification. http://www.medwetlandsobs.org/en/content/role-wetlands-water-purification also look at their fact sheets
Purification
Water purification
http://www.esa.org/ecoservices/comm/body.comm.fact.wate.html
How wetlands improve water quality http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/evans/ag473-7.html
Michigan Environmental education curriculum wetland ecosystems. Section: How do wetlands
filter harmful substances?
http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module12/Chemicalfunctionsofwetlands.htm
HOW DOES NATURAL PURIFICATION OF LIQUID WATER WORK ON EARTH?
http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water_quality/quality2/j-8-08-natural-purification-of-liquid-water-work.htm
Pbs water purification http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.waterfilter/earth-waterfilter/
Community use to purify waste water
Use of wetlands to purify water by communities http://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/benefitswaterquality.htm
EPA Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/upload/constructedwetlands.pdf and www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/pdf/ConstructedW.pdf
Constructed wetlands to treat waste water
www.wastewatergardens.com/pdf/WWG_AboutConstructedWetlands.pdf
New York Time Klockenbrink, myra (1988) Small towns build artificial wetlands to treat sewage
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/29/science/small-towns-build-artificial-wetlands-to-treat-sewage.html
Feneigle, Mark (2012) Constructed wetlands treat waste water with weeds. Permaculture Research Institute.
http://permaculturenews.org/2012/03/22/constructed-wetlands-treat-waste-water-with-weeds/
Robinson, M.L, and O’Callaghan, A. (Constructed wetlands a natural water filtering system for conservation
Iniversity of Nevada Cooperative Extension.
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawaiirain/Library/papers/Robinson_M%20L.pdf
www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawaiirain/Library/papers/Robinson_M%20L.pdf