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Wetlands are defined primarily by hydrology: soils are flooded or saturated long enough to support hydrophytic vegetation and hydric soils.
Wetlands are distinct semi-aquatic ecosystems where the ground is flooded or saturated with water—permanently, for years/decades, or seasonally—long enough to support aquatic plants. Flooding creates oxygen-poor (anoxic) soil conditions that shape wetland soils, vegetation, and ecological processes. Wetlands also function as transitional zones (ecotones) between terrestrial and aquatic environments, and they are commonly defined using hydrology (water level and duration) along with characteristic hydric soils and hydrophytes. Terminology and formal definitions vary by purpose. The Ramsar Convention defines wetlands broadly to include marshes, fens, peatlands, and water bodies (natural or artificial; permanent or temporary; static or flowing; freshwater, brackish, or salt), including certain shallow marine areas. In the United States, regulatory definitions similarly emphasize areas inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at frequencies and durations that support vegetation adapted to saturated soil conditions. Ecological definitions also stress how inundation produces soils dominated by anaerobic and aerobic processes, forcing biota—especially rooted plants—to adapt to flooding. Wetland types and names are often based on dominant vegetation and water source. Common categories include marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens (with bogs and fens as peatland types), plus additional sub-types such as mangrove forests and vernal pools. Water can be tidal or non-tidal, and wetlands may be freshwater, brackish, saline, or alkaline. Regional names (e.g., prairie potholes, pocosins, turloughs, billabongs) reflect local terminology for particular wetland systems, while locations can be described by temperature zone and precipitation regime.
Wetlands are defined primarily by hydrology: soils are flooded or saturated long enough to support hydrophytic vegetation and hydric soils.
Major legal frameworks (e.g., Ramsar and U.S. regulation) use broad, hydrology-centered definitions that include natural and artificial wetlands across water salinities and permanence.
Wetland types and names are commonly classified by dominant vegetation and water source (e.g., marsh vs. swamp; bog vs. fen; tidal vs. non-tidal), with many region-specific terms.
A wetland is an area where land is flooded or saturated with water for sufficient periods to support hydric soils and hydrophytes.
Hydric soil is soil formed under conditions of saturation or flooding that create oxygen-poor (often anaerobic) environments.
A hydrophyte is a plant adapted to grow in saturated or flooded conditions typical of wetlands.
Under the Ramsar Convention, wetlands include marsh, fen, peatland, or water areas (natural or artificial; permanent or temporary) with static or flowing water that may be fresh, brackish, or salt, including certain shallow marine areas.
A peatland is a wetland where slow decay under anoxic conditions leads to the accumulation of organic peat, including bogs and fens.
A marsh is a wetland dominated by emergent herbaceous vegetation such as reeds, cattails, and sedges.
A swamp is a wetland dominated by woody vegetation such as trees and shrubs.
A bog is a peatland wetland typically fed mainly by precipitation, often resulting in low mineral content water.
A fen is a peatland wetland that receives water from precipitation and groundwater, often producing a wider range of chemistry including more mineral-rich conditions.
Hydroperiod refers to the temporal pattern of water level fluctuations in a wetland, driven by water balance and storage.
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