Where Are Wetlands Located in California?
Wetlands are regions of periodically or permanently saturated soils. According to the California Wetlands Portal, California had some 2.9 million acres of wetland as of January 2009. Wetland acreage in California has decreased significantly over the past century.
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History
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Wetlands fulfill important functions by buffering against floods and erosion, preventing saltwater intrusion and affording habitat to wildlife, especially migratory birds. Over the years, a great deal of California wetland has been developed or converted to farmland for use in agriculture. According to the US Geological Survey, an estimated 91 percent of California's original wetlands have been lost.
Identification
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According to the California Wetland Project, 1.32 million acres of California's existing wetlands are in the Central Valley. Another 252,000 acres remain in the Bay Area, 114,000 along the Central Coast, 44,000 along the South Coast (i.e. Los Angeles and San Diego), 64,000 in the Colorado River Basin and 817,000 in the Lahontan region (the region fed by rivers draining from the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre and stretching down to the Mojave Desert).
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Types
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According to the same source, 60 percent of California's wetlands are inland freshwater marshes that lack flowing water, while another 25 percent are associated with lakes and 9 percent are associated with streams. About 5.5 percent are located on estuaries and less than a percent are marine marsh.
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References
- Photo Credit california coastilne image by Xavier MARCHANT from Fotolia.com
