Hydrology

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Non-floodplain swamp habitat hydrology is related to a site’s topography, substrate type and position within the catchment. Climatic factors (especially those related to rainfall) also play a significant role in the regularity, seasonality, duration and amount of water entering and leaving the wetland.

Water Inputs

Non-floodplain wetlands can be flushed with rain, run-off from the local watershed and groundwater discharge, or a combination of these sources.

If groundwater table levels and substrate permeability permit, this can lead to more constant systems. This wetland habitat type can play a role in groundwater recharge/discharge.

An important point to note is that groundwater flow tends to be clear (not turbid), compared to surface water flow.

Water Outputs

Evaporation, transpiration and groundwater recharge can lead these systems to dry out, often completely. Water may also flow away from the wetland via distributary channels, depending on topography.

Water Quality

Water quality in these wetland habitat types is related to awealth of factors including, but not limited to, the vegetation around and in the wetland habitat, water regime and catchment attributes. More research is needed to demonstrate the effects these wetland habitats have on the hydrology and water quality of the broader system. It is suspected that the water leaving Melaleuca wetlands would have differences in turbidity, Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM), acidity, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), conductivity and organic matter. These effects are complicated and site dependent, and could have an appreciable effect on water quality in downstream waterways.

Hydrology and Vegetation

Hydrology can play an important role in influencing the growth and distribution of vegetation communities. Melaleuca trees can be temporarily inundated with water for three to six months of the year. Areas that are inundated for longer periods tend to shift towards grass, sedge, herb- dominated wetlands. In the Wet Tropics coastal lowlands, annual rainfall is high enough (greater than 3000 mm annually) for palm swamps to grow on very wet, poorly drained soils.