Wetland Chemistry

In general, wetlands vary in chemistry depending on their habitat. For example, coastal wetlands contain chemicals native to the ocean, while inland wetlands house chemicals from freshwater sources. Since wetlands soak up nutrients from the surrounding water and soil, chemical makeup always varies, but wetlands contain higher chemical concentrations than either oceans or freshwater habitats do.

Because wetlands are an important part of the watershed, several factors can endanger both the wetland and its surrounding aquatic ecosystem:
· Removing the wetlands by adding soil to the surface water to fill it in
· Large amounts of point source or nonpoint source pollutants
· Removing the plant life from the wetland or its surrounding area