Was actually February 2nd but in the better late than never category…. Wetlands are everywhere and not just at the coast or in the Southern US. They have them way up north – where do you think all those Canada Geese fly to anyway?. In fact, Southwest Montreal (including Turcot Yards) was once mainly wetlands.
Here are 8 things about wetlands from Pruned.
Why, you ask?
There are many reasons:
1)
Wetlands are “the kidneys of the landscape,” able to filter out
pollutants from, for instance, agricultural runoffs and urban effluents.2) Because of their bioremediating properties, wetlands can be a cheap alternative to municipal waste water treatment.
3)
During particularly heavy storm events, they act as temporary water
storage tanks. They then release the excess water slowly rather than in
a deluge, lowering flood heights and minimizing the damage of valuable
property downstream.4) Wetlands also store carbon within
their live and preserved (peat) plant biomass instead of releasing it
to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Therefore, wetlands world-wide
help to moderate global climate change.5) Along the
coast, they are good at mitigating the effects of hurricane storm
surges, tsunamis, and the less energetic but no less destructive normal
ebb and flow of ocean waves.6) Wetlands help to replenish aquifers that so many people depend on.
7)
They are “biological supermarkets,” producing annual commercial
harvests of fish and shellfish that sometimes amount to hundreds of
millions of dollars. Indeed, many people rely on wetlands for their
livelihood.8) As eco-attractions, they inject a sizable amount of tourist income to the local economy.
Rest of Pruned’s post here.
PostArctica 