In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood.[1] Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss.
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.
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Coastal marshes may be associated with estuaries, and are also found 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.
Constructed wetlands feature surface-flow design and are usually in the form of a marsh. Marshes can also be used agriculturally, ie by creating Chinampas.
Decomposition of plant materials below water often produces methane, which may begin to burn by self-ignition making mysterious lights known locally as will o' the wisps, jack-o'-lanterns, or sprites.
Humid, moist, and tropical
The plants there are called hydrophytes.
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| Swamp · Freshwater swamp forest · Coniferous swamp · Marsh · Salt marsh · Bog · Peat swamp forest · Fen · Vernal pool · Flooded grasslands and savannas · Constructed wetland · Riparian zone |