32 



STEWART AND KANTRUD 



(1972) 



APPROXIMATE 



SPECIFIC 

 CONDUCTANCES 



(pMhos) 



THIS CLASSIFICATION 



SALINE 



SUBSALINE 



BRACKISH 



MODERATELY BRACKISH 



SLIGHTLY BRACKISH 



FRESH 



60,000 

 45.000 



30.000 



2,000 



800 

 500 



HYPERSALINE 



EUSALINE 



POLYSALINE 



1 5.000 MESOSALINE 



8.000 



5,000 



OLIGOSALINE 



MIXOSALINE 



FRESH 



Fig. 8. Comparison of the water chemistry subclasses of Stewart and Kantrud (1972) with water chemistry modifiers used in 

 the present classification system. 



(Cowardin 1978). Recently there has been a flurry of 

 interest in a holistic approach to land classification (in 



Table 5. Comparison of the zones of Stewart and 

 Kantrud's (1971) classification with the water 

 regime modifiers used in the present classification 

 system. 



Zone 



Water regime modifier 



Wetland-low-prairie 

 Wet meadow 

 Shallow marsh 

 Deep marsh 



Intermittent-alkali 



Permanent-open- 

 water 

 Fen (alkaline bog) 



Non-wetland by our definition 

 Temporarily flooded 

 Seasonally flooded 

 Semipermanently flooded 

 Intermittently exposed 

 Intermittently flooded (with saline 



or hypersaline water) 

 Permanently flooded (with mixo- 



haline water) 

 Saturated 



Land Classification Series, Journal of Forestry, vol. 

 46, no. 10). A number of classifications have been 

 developed (e.g., Radford 1978) or are under develop- 

 ment (e.g., Driscoll et al. 1978). Parts of this wetland 

 classification can be incorporated into broader hier- 

 archical land classifications. 



A classification system is most easily learned 

 through use. To illustrate the application of this 

 system, we have classified a representative group of 

 wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States 

 (Plates 1-56; pages 48-103). 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



The breadth and complexity of preparing this 

 classification caused us to solicit help and advice from 

 individuals too numerous to list here. Frequently the 

 recommendations were in conflict and we take respon- 



