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Wetland Ecosystems and Marine Sustainability

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  • First Online:
Life Below Water

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

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Synonyms

Alluvial plain; Floodplain; Mangrove swamp; Riparian corridor; Salt marsh; Seagrass meadow; Tidal freshwater wetland

Definitions

The sustainability of marine ecosystems is partially dependent upon riverine systems that are hydrologically connected with adjacent wetlands. This lateral connectivity provides a protective buffer for the river and improves the river’s ability to sequester and transform nutrients along its path; this is known as the river’s processing length. Well-connected river systems moderate the nutrient load on downstream ecosystems. Channelized and impounded rivers may deliver excess nutrients and contaminants to offshore ecosystems, potentially promoting eutrophication, oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), and harmful algal blooms (HABs).

Riverine wetlands provide important habitat for diadromous species that migrate between freshwater and saltwater. Estuarine and marine wetlands include mangrove swamps, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows. These ecosystems provide nu...

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Notes

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. McPhail Center for Environmental Studies, Denison University, Granville, OH, USA

    Douglas J. Spieles

Authors
  1. Douglas J. Spieles
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Correspondence to Douglas J. Spieles .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European School of Sustainability Science and Research, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Amanda Lange Salvia

  5. Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, School of Geography and Earth Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Nidhi Nagabhatla

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Spieles, D.J. (2022). Wetland Ecosystems and Marine Sustainability. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Life Below Water. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98536-7_124

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