Freshwater Wetlands Wetlands are all surface areas of land that are saturated with water for at least part of the year. They are characterized by poorly drained soils, hydrophytic vegetation and biological activity adapted to wet environments. Wetlands occupy the transitional zone on the landscape between the aquatic and upland areas and exhibit some properties of each.
Marshes are wetlands dominated by emergent aquatic vegetation such as grasses, sedges and rushes.
Wetlands dominated by wooded vegetation are swamps. The majority of wetlands in Nova Scotia are peatlands - wetlands characterized by an accumulation of peat. Those that depend on precipitation for moisture and nutrients are bogs, dominated by sphagnum mosses. Peatlands fed by water moving through mineral soil and dominated by sedges are known as fens. Wetlands usually occur in areas containing a high water table or where surface-water flow becomes obstructed.