In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland which is subject to frequent or continuous flood.[1] Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, and other herbaceous plants.
Woody plants will be low-growing shrubs. A marsh is different from a swamp, which has a greater proportion of open water surface and may be deeper than a marsh. In North America, the term "swamp" is used for wetland dominated by trees rather than grasses and low herbs.
Contents |
Classifications
The water of a marsh can be fresh (freshwater marsh), brackish (brackish marsh), or saline (salt marsh).
Associations
Coastal marshes may be associated with estuaries, and are also along waterways between coastal barrier islands and the inner coast. The estuarine marsh, or tidal marsh, is often based on soils consisting of sandy bottoms or bay muds. An example is the Tantramar Marsh of eastern Canada.
Ecology
Marshes are critically important wildlife habitat, often serving as breeding grounds for a wide variety of animal life, particularly including ducks and geese.
Commercial application
Constructed wetlands featuring surface-flow design are usually in the form of a marsh.
Related phenomena
Decomposition of plant materials below water often produces marsh gas, which may begin to burn by self-ignition making mysterious lights known locally as Will o' the wisps, Jack-o'-lanterns, or sprites.
See also
Reference line notes
- Marshes of the Lowcountry (South Carolina) -- Beaufort County Library
- General Information of Ibera Marshes (in English and Spanish)
heyy how r u 2day......i hate school and cant wait till sat
Open source encyclopedia content modification information:
This page was last modified on 19 March 2010 at 00:49.
Authorship and Review
Open source encyclopedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Content is sourced directly from Wikipedia and is authored by an open community of volunteers. It is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Marshland", which is available in its original form here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marshland
All material adapted used from Wikipedia is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. Wikipedia® itself is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.