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What is a Wetland?
Wetlands are natural areas where water and land meet. They provide food, habitat and shelter for nearly 300 species of wildlife in Alberta. Wetlands are a critical part of much larger systems known as watersheds that move water across the land.
Types of wetlands
There are five wetland types in Alberta. These wetlands differ in terms of water saturation and permanence (hydrology), and the types of plant and animal communities that they support. Alberta’s five wetland types can be divided into two main categories: peatlands (also known as muskeg) and non-peatlands (sloughs).
Peatlands – central and northern Alberta
Bogs form in cool wet areas where drainage is poor. Precipitation supplies most of the water to a bog, which is why bogs are low in nutrients. They are strongly acidic (pH around 4.5) and are dominated by spongy carpets of moss species like Sphagnum. Bogs can be open or forested; low shrubs and trees, like tamarack and black spruce, can be found in bogs. Bogs are characterized by a high accumulation of peat (> 40 cm).
Fens receive most of their water from groundwater. The water is less acidic and contains more nutrients than bogs. Like bogs, fens also have a high accumulation of peat (> 40 cm), but because they are less acidic, they can accommodate more vegetation, like sedges, grasses and wildflowers. Fens can look like open, grassy fields or can be wooded.
Non-Peatlands – central and southern Alberta (also known as the Prairie Pothole Region)
Marshes, often called sloughs, form in depressions in the landscape where water collects as standing pools. Emergent plants, such as cattails, rushes and sedges, are the dominant vegetation cover. Small marshes in the rolling hills of the prairies are known as potholes.
Ponds or shallow water are wide, flat basins of standing water that receive water from rain, snow and groundwater sources. Water is usually about two metres deep or less, although it can be deeper. In mid-summer there is often open water in these wetlands, but they may dry out in late summer.
Swamps are forests that are flooded seasonally by standing or slow-moving water, and are dominated by trees and shrubs. Swamps are not common in Alberta and are usually confined to the transition zone between peatlands and upland forests. Swamps have a dense cover of both deciduous (leafy) and coniferous (needle) trees and are sometimes called forested wetlands.