2. What is a Wetland? A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally.

3. Characteristics of a Wetland Wetlands vary widely due to local and regional differences in: Topography Hydrology Vegetation and other factors, including human disturbance. Wetlands can be divided into two main classes: tidal and non-tidal areas.

4. Wetland Topography

5. Where are Wetlands Located? Wetlands are found on every continent except Antarctica One of the world's largest natural wetlands is the Patanal, which straddles Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay in South America.

7. Climate Many of the world's wetlands are in temperate zones (midway between the North or South Pole and the equator) Amount of rainfall a wetland receives varies widely according to its location

8. What does a Wetland Do? water purification systems flood control shoreline stability reservoirs of biodiversity.

9. Ecosystem Stress Water Scarcity Endangered species Imbalance in sediment load and nutrient filtration Disruption of breeding grounds

10. Natural or Not.. Wetlands may be converted for agriculture or development or constructed as a water management tool as in the recent developing field of Water Sensitive Urban Design

11. Agriculture Concerns are developing over farm fishing, a practice especially popular within Asia and the South Pacific and its influence on many small island developing states

12. Human Impact Encroachment Drainage Development Over-grazing Mining Unsustainable water use

13. Wetland Plants

14. Wetland Animals

15. http://drake.marin.k12.ca.us/stuwork/rockwater /Wetlands%202/Animals%20and%20plants%2 0of%20the%20Wetlands.html http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat /habitat/wetlands.php http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/wetlands.htm l