ETYM Old Eng. mersch, as. mersc, from mere lake. Related to Mere pool, and cf. Marish, Morass.
Low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water; SYN. marshland, fen.
Low-lying wetland. Freshwater marshes are common wherever groundwater, surface springs, streams, or run-off cause frequent flooding or more or less permanent shallow water. A marsh is alkaline whereas a bog is acid. Marshes develop on inorganic silt or clay soils. Rushes are typical marsh plants. Large marshes dominated by papyrus, cattail, and reeds, with standing water throughout the year, are commonly called swamps. Near the sea, salt marshes may form. + prikaži više

ETYM Cf. as. swam a fungus, od. swam a sponge, Dutch zwam a fungus, German schwamm a sponge, Icel. svöppr, Dan. and Swed. swamp, Goth. swamms, Greek somphos porous, spongy.
1. A situation fraught with difficulties and imponderables.
2. Low land that is seasonally flooded; has more woody plants than a marsh and better drainage than a bog.
Region of low-lying land that is permanently saturated with water and usually overgrown with vegetation; for example, the everglades of Florida, US. A swamp often occurs where a lake has filled up with sediment and plant material. The flat surface so formed means that runoff is slow, and the water table is always close to the surface. The high humus content of swamp soil means that good agricultural soil can be obtained by draining. + prikaži više

Low land that is seasonally flooded; has more woody plants than a marsh and better drainage than a bog

A low area where the land is saturated with water.
Permanently wet land area or habitat. Wetlands include areas of marsh, fen, bog, flood plain, and shallow coastal areas. Wetlands are extremely fertile. They provide warm, sheltered waters for fisheries, lush vegetation for grazing livestock, and an abundance of wildlife. Estuaries and seaweed beds are more than 16 times as productive as the open ocean.
The term is often more specifically applied to a naturally flooding area that is managed for agriculture or wildlife. A water meadow, where a river is expected to flood grazing land at least once a year thereby replenishing the soil, is a traditional example.
In the US wetlands have been destroyed at a rate of about 600 hectares a day for the last century, though 244,000 hectares were restored 1990–1992. NS 940702 + prikaži više