Wetlands Function and Response to Extreme Events

In light of the one year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf, the Science Policy Office would like to revisit the webinar “Wetlands Function and Response to Extreme Events”, which was sponsored by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), the Council on Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics (C-FARE), and the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS). The webinar discussed the impacts that such extreme events, which also include fire, floods, and hurricanes, have on wetland ecosystem function, wildlife, and biodiversity.

During the webinar, three experts, Dr. John Day (Coastal Ecology Institute at Louisiana State University), Dr. Ramesh Reddy (Soil and Water Science Department at University of Florida), and Dr. Dan Petrolia (Department of Agricultural Economics and Mississippi State University), explored the:

• value of wetlands,
• vital ecosystem services they provide, and
  
• effect of such extreme events on wetland related ecosystem services.

The presentations offered an overview of wetlands structure and function, the influence of extreme events on wetlands biogeochemical processes, and ecosystem service valuation research. Furthermore, topics concerning wetland management in the face of disaster and research that can contribute to wetland recovery and conservation were also highlighted during the webinar.

Complete presentations from the webinar can be viewed here: https://www.soils.org/science-policy/issues/ecosystems-services