Wetland classification

Classification of wetlands has been a problematical task, with the commonly accepted definition of what constitutes a wetland being among the major difficulties. A number of national wetland classifications exist. In 1970s, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance introduced a first attempt to establish an internationally acceptable wetland classification scheme. ^[1]

Ramsar classification

The Ramsar classification of wetland types is intended as a means for fast identification of the main types of wetlands for the purposes of the Convention.^[2]

The wetlands are classified into three major classes:

• Marine/coastal wetlands
• Inland wetlands
• Human-made wetlands

These are further subdivided by the type of water: fresh / saline / brackish / alkaline; and may be further classified by the substrate type of other characteristics.

United States

Wetlands of the United States are classified according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wetlands Inventory (NWI).^[3]

See also

• Biome classification
• Ecological land classification

References

Aquatic ecosystems – general and freshwater components General Aquatic ecosystems Acoustic ecology Agent-based models Algal bloom Anoxic waters Aquatic adaptation Aquatic animals Aquatic biodiversity research Aquatic biomonitoring Aquatic insects Aquatic layers Aquatic mammals Aquatic plants Aquatic predation Aquatic respiration Aquatic science Aquatic toxicology Benthos Bioluminescence Biomass Cascade effect Colored dissolved organic matter Dead zone Ecohydrology Eutrophication Fisheries science Food chain Food web GIS and aquatic science Hydrobiology Hypoxia Isotope analysis Microbial ecology Microbial food web Microbial loop Nekton Neuston Particle Photic zone Phytoplankton Plankton Pleuston Productivity Ramsar Convention Schooling Sediment trap Siltation Spawning Substrate Thermal pollution Trophic level Underwater camouflage and mimicry Water column Zooplankton More... Freshwater Freshwater ecosystems Brackish marsh Freshwater biology Freshwater biomes Freshwater fish Freshwater marsh Freshwater swamp forest Hyporheic zone Lake ecosystems Landscape limnology Limnology Lake stratification Macrophyte Pond Fish pond Rheotaxis River ecosystems Stream bed Stream pool Trophic state index Upland and lowland Water garden Wetland Environmental quality More... Ecoregions Freshwater ecoregions List of freshwater ecoregions Marine ecoregions List of marine ecoregions Ecology of the Everglades Ecology of the San Francisco Estuary Ecosystem of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre Freshwater ecology of Maharashtra   Aquatic ecosystems – marine components Marine Marine ecosystem f-ratio Iron fertilization Iron Hypothesis Large marine ecosystem Marine biology Marine chemistry Marine snow Ocean nourishment Oceanic physical-biological process Ocean turbidity Photophore Thorson's rule Upwelling Whale fall More... Marine life forms Census of Marine Life Coastal fish Coral reef fish Deep sea communities Deep sea creature Deep sea fish Deep-water coral Demersal fish Marine bacteriophage Marine invertebrates Marine larval ecology Marine mammal Marine reptile Marine vertebrate Paradox of the plankton Pelagic fish Seabird Seashore wildlife Wild fisheries Marine habitats Bay mud Black smokers Coastal biogeomorphology Cold seeps Coral reefs Davidson Seamount Estuaries Intertidal ecology Intertidal wetlands Kelp forests Hydrothermal vents Lagoons Mangroves Marine biomes Marine habitats Mudflats Rocky shores Salt marshes Salt pannes and pools Seagrass meadows Sponge reefs Tide pools Issues Ecological values of mangrove Fisheries and climate change HERMIONE Marine conservation Marine conservation activism Marine pollution Marine Protected Area