While decomposition is one of the important functional attributes of wetlands, it is not well understood or quantified for many systems.
Decomposition seems highly variable depending on the type of wetland.
Litter decomposition in wetlands, using techniques borrowed from upland and aquatic studies, has only recently received significant attention by the scientific community. Given the variability in soils, salinity, vegetation, hydrology, climate, and water source, decomposition has only been determined in relatively few wetland types. In an attempt to account for some of this variability in decomposition rates several other factors such as age since restoration, moisture levels, litterbag mesh size, and litter type will be examined. This project studies constructed and natural 'reference' wetlands, focusing on two main parts, a water budget and a decomposition study. The created wetlands I am studying were created by the Virginia Department of Transportation to replace wetlands destroyed by highway construction.