Isiorho Sixty thousand acres of wetlands disappear in this country annually; restoration is a major concern for a wide variety of government and environmental groups.

Solomon Isiorho, associate professor of geology at IPFW, studies wetlands in an effort to arrive at best practices for successfully restoring old ones and creating sustainable new ones. He recently presented a paper on his wetland research, “Hydrology, the Backbone for Wetlands: Lessons Learned from the Laurel Ridge Wetland,” at the Indiana Academy of Science’s 119th annual meeting.

“Quite often, the importance of hydrology is taken for granted or not understood for the survival of most inland wetlands,” Isiorho said. “We were recently provided an opportunity to examine the role of hydrology in a wetland that formed within the past three years in a residential neighborhood.”

Water for this wetland came from precipitation and from a “spring” in the subdivision, said Isiorho, and standing water approximately two inches deep was evident most of the year. Vegetation and wildlife in the wetland were monitored, and soil samples were collected for analysis. After three years, the wetland was demolished because residents were worried that the standing water would attract mosquitoes. The area was tiled over, which eliminated the water in less than two weeks.

According to Isiorho, two soil samples then collected from the area were compared with soils from established natural wetlands that were several decades old. Analysis showed that the soil in the new wetland contained organic material similar to that found in the older, natural wetlands. Hydric soil—water-logged soil with a significant amount of organic matter—developed faster in this wetland than would normally be expected as observed in other man-made wetlands.

“My study would suggest that the main ingredient necessary for establishing a wetland is water,” said Isiorho. “The reason this wetland I studied developed hydric soil faster was the constant supply of water. The presence of sandy, silty clay enhanced the condition, but water is the key ingredient, and the location of man-made wetlands should examine the geology and, thus, the hydrology of the area.”

Wetland restoration is a major concern for a wide variety of government and environmental groups.

“Wetlands are important because they serve so many useful purposes,” said Isiorho, who explained that wetlands are so productive, they are generally referred to as “biological supermarkets.” They can act as a sponge to minimize flooding he said, and also serve as the “Earth’s kidney,” filtering impurities from the waters that flow through on the way to a lake, river or ocean. Wetlands provide habitats for wildlife and can be an important source of human food, such as fish, shellfish and cranberries. Soil and beach erosion can be prevented or at least slowed by wetlands, which also provide an energy source in the form of peat. And, scientists have come to believe that wetlands help to moderate global climate by storing carbon instead of releasing it to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

“Wetlands are a valuable natural resource that need to be protected,” said Isiorho. “Understanding the functions, roles and benefits derived from wetlands directly or indirectly is one way to keep and treasure wetlands.”