Abstract
Wetland classification has become a primary tool to characterise and inventorise wetland landscapes, but wetlands are difficult to classify because they straddle the terrestrial and aquatic boundary and occur in a variety of topographic and hydroclimatic settings. Presently, many ecological wetland classification schemes are focused on the ‘hydrogeomorphic’ unit, which attempts to account for the physical setting of a wetland. However, in many cases landforms are defined in topographic terms (e.g. flats, slopes) rather than geomorphological terms (e.g. oxbow, floodplain), and no attempt is made to characterise the process-form relationships of wetland landforms. The current misrepresentation of product geomorphology (i.e. topography rather than landforms) and underrepresentation of process geomorphology (i.e. lacking process-landform relationships) means that many current wetland classification schemes represent an inaccurate and static attempt to characterize geomorphologically dynamic wetland landscapes. Here, we use examples from wetlands in the drylands of Africa, Australia, and North America to identify the capacity for adjustment (form and timescale of adjustment) of wetland landforms and we relate this capacity to the geomorphological concepts of landform sensitivity and sediment connectivity. We highlight how geomorphological insights into process-landform relationships and timescales of landform adjustment can add value to wetland classification efforts with important implications for wetland management and ecosystem service delivery. We submit that geomorphology has a much larger role to play in wetland characterization and can reinforce existing wetland classification schemes. More participation by the geomorphology community in wetland science and more awareness by the ecology community in recognising and characterising wetlands as dynamic landscapes will facilitate more effective wetland research and management.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | British Society for Geomorphology Annual Meeting 2018 |
Subtitle of host publication | Programme and Abstracts |
Editors | T. Irvine-Fynn, S. Tooth |
Publisher | Aberystwyth University |
Pages | 68 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 10 Sept 2018 |
Event | British Society for Geomorphology Annual Meeting - Duration: 10 Sept 2018 → 12 Sept 2018 http://geomorphology.org.uk/meetings/bsg-annual-meeting-2018 |
Conference
Conference | British Society for Geomorphology Annual Meeting |
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Period | 10/09/18 → 12/09/18 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- geomorphic adjustment
- landform dynamics
- management
- wetland classification
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Wetlands in Drylands: conservation through environmental research, citizen science and global engagement
Tim Ralph (Participant)
Impact: Science impacts, Environment impacts, Policy impacts, Society impacts