Headwaters: An introduction

Compared to their majestic freshwater relatives, wetlands, estuaries and coastal waters are often overlooked. They lack the majesty and power of rivers, the awesome placidity of lakes and even the quiet wonder of ponds. However, among the reeds and beneath the muck are rich, productive aquatic ecosystems that contain some of the most important species in the country that can only live in these areas. They are also under appreciated for their sustainability applications.

Below is the “in-a-nutshell” overview of each of the bodies of water I will be covering in this ephemeral blog:

Wetlands
A wetland is an area of land that is nearly always innundated with water, containing vegetation specific to these areas. Though they may look similar, there are different types of wetlands characterized by vegetation and water source. These include marshes, swamps, bogs and fens. In addition to providing a home to alligators, frogs and long-legged birds, wetlands are a help to the land areas around them. They act as flood control, sucking in excess water, stem erosion flows and even filter water that flows through them as they are quite pollution tolerant. They are so valuable that environmental organizations and other groups are now building man-made wetlands to serve just these purposes.

Estuaries
Whether they realize it or not, many people want to be where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries are locations where saltwater meets freshwater, creating a unique aquatic habitat where even small fluctuations in nutrients could jeopardize sensitive ecosystems. Unfortunately, to humans in estuary areas like Chesapeake Bay and Galveston Bay, water is water. Affected both by the contents of the outgoing river and the flow of saltwater tide, keeping these areas healthy is a balancing act. Species such as salmon, crabs and shrimp thrive in these brackish waters. Millions of dollars in federal grant money and hours of manpower have been invested into preserving and restoring these areas, affected both by nature (Hurricane Katrina) and man (BP oil spill).

Coastal areas
If “life’s a beach,” then life can be pretty dirty sometimes. Coastal waters are thrilling places to be to see animal life unseen in any other place on earth. For those of us who can’t boat out to the middle of the ocean, going to the nearest coast is the best way to see marine life and experience the salty, some would say “sweet”, atmosphere where the ocean licks the sand. However, because some areas are so popular, garbage and other human-related waste is left behind. These are transitory areas, so those who stick around are left with the mess. If kept healthy, these areas can be the most rewarding locations for atmospheric, marine and biological research as well a enjoyable vacation locales.