How Do Wetlands Act As A Natural Purification System?

Question

If you answer please leave your name so I can list you as a resource (interview) in my references

Answer 1

There are bacteria that denitrify (remove nitrogen) from the water, as well as plant systems such as the mangrove that also remove nutrients from the water. The root systems of the mangrove also slow the flow of water, which causes it to lose many of the particles it contains.

Answer 2

Finally, a question I can get in to! I did a year long study on the effects of the loss of riparian buffers on a local tream near my college. A lof of good stuff. But as far at the role of wetlands/ riparian buffers....
- Reduce stream flows- In a natural watershed, following a storm event, rain can permeate into the soil and slowly flow into the streams. This process has little effect on the stream channel, but in developed watershedw wtih degraded riparian buffers and wetlands, rain goes into storm sewers which delivers unfiltered water to the creeks. All of this runoff erodes stream channels and causes channel degradation which results in a loss in stream ecosystem health.
-Reduce pollutants- In a natural area, water flows through wetalands and riparian buffers, and a lot of poluation is distilled before reaching the creeks. These pollutants can either be chemicals and trash, but also sediment which can also cause a loss in stream health (people often overlook the dangers of excessive sediment in waterways) For example, the creek I am working on has fecal coliform bacteria levels in the 19,000 range during storm events...this number should be in the 200's. Nitrate and phosphate levels are also of concern because if these levels get too high there are algal blooms and the loss of dissolved oxygen.
-If there is intact wetlands and riparian buffers, there is no place for the chemicals to collect and eventually get washed into the storms sewers and the creeks.
-Shade- Shading streams allows all organisms to grow, which means a waterway might be full of filtering species that grow well in shaded conditions that will clean the water.

Answer 3

Along the same lines, the wetlands act as flow buffers, allowing the settling out of solids and an increase in residence times for the dirty water. The longer stay allows reactions to proceed further than otherwise would be expected. In addition to natural chemical reactions like oxidation of organic chemicals, microbial activity consumes pollutants such as undecayed human and animal wastes. Wetlands make quite nice little natural reactors for converting organic residues into the basic constituents (water and CO2) as well as into vegetative debris that buries in place.

Answer 4

I don't think you can cite random internet people as references. Nor do I think lots of people are game for posting their real names.

I do know that certain grasses, like cattails, remove impurities from water, and lower the pH.