Swamps, Bogs and Other Wetlands

In geological time scales, lakes are young features on the Earth’s surface (merely decades up to many thousands of years). The existence of lakes often depends on climatic conditions that can guarantee the amount of surface water will exceed evaporation in the same region. In contrast, wetlands are able to develop in very shallow relief (and even on plains) where incoming water becomes stagnant. One important reason to the present day existence of high numbers of swamps or bogs or other kinds of wetlands, is a lake may pass through this phase of being a wetland through its early development and may pass it again when loosing water. The principal difference between lakes (with open water) and wetlands is the presence of plants (Hydrophytes), particularly along the wide fringes of the shores, but also as floating islands breaking loose from the fringe, or growing from the shallow bottom to the surface. Wetlands can quickly change appearance where open water may be totally covered by floating plants and water of some depth may still exist below, or growing from the bottom, a carpet of reed and grass with no visible water volumes. If decomposition is slow as a result of unsuitable climate conditions (e.g. high precipitation and low temperatures), wet vegetation mats may also grow from flat low-lying areas forming domed surfaces demonstrated in the dominant moss bogs (raised bogs) of circum-polar latitudes. Marshes or mangrove woodlands describe plants in wetlands along ocean shores (algae, grass, herbs, even trees) that have adapted to survive the salt- water conditions including tidal currents and some wave action.