Water comes into the wetland from the stream (S), from groundwater (G), which exists under the soil, and from precipitation (P). Water balance for a wetland (Mitsch, 2000) As a result, hydrologists have not been able to use traditional equations, such as Penman or Thornthwaite, to accurately quantify the wetland water balance (water into and out of the wetland), seen in the image below.
Wetlands are complicated habitats because the three main characteristics -hydrology, physiochemical environment and biota- are all interconnected. Riparian Wetland Location (Mitsch, 2000). The hydroperiod of a wetland is the seasonal pattern of the water level, and it defines the type of wetland and affects nutrient cycles. Riparian wetlands, shown in the image below, exist alongside rivers and are distinguished by distinct vegetation, such as cattails and pondweed, and have a variable water level that is affected by the river flow (pulse-fed wetland). The installation of a riparian wetland upstream could reduce sediment in Paradise Pond after specific rain events, but in the long term will not solve the problem of sediment accumulation.Ī wetland is an area of soil persistently covered with slow moving water. In addition to the high costs associated with this process, dredging disturbs the local environment and is highly disruptive to all who use the pond. For comparison, that is almost a third of an Olympic sized pool of sediment. In 1990, 27,000 cubic feet of sediment were removed from the pond (Hartwell, 2014). The college must dredge the pond on a regular basis, about once every 8 years, in order to prevent the formation of an additional island. Sediment from the Mill River builds up at the bottom of the pond over time. In this post, Brittany Bennett and Nicole DeChello address the question: What is the potential for riparian wetlands along the Mill River – either constructed or natural – to reduce sediment accumulation in Paradise Pond?įew landmarks are as cherished as Paradise Pond at Smith College, but maintaining the idyllic space is not without a price. Over the last few weeks of this semester, students in our Ecohydrology class at Smith College have taken on challenging hydrologic questions that are relevant to our community.
0 kommentar(er)
