# @usgs on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DUQ_wHyATKT
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69013829-usgs-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/8dfe5b90af.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-02-02T18:27:30.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (@USGS) — https://gondola.cc/USGS

## Caption

Wetlands are the unsung heroes of Earth’s ecosystems! 🌿💧🦆

Fun fact: Wetlands only cover about 6% of the Earth’s land surface but support 40% of all plant and animal species.

Wetlands (swamps, marshes, bogs) are some of the most productive and valuable ecosystems on Earth. As nature’s powerhouses, they:

💧 Improve water quality by filtering runoff and absorbing excess nutrients.

🛡️ Act as storm buffers, protecting coastal communities by reducing flood damage and acting as a buffer against storm surges.

🐟 Provide essential food, refuge, and nursery habitat for commercially and recreationally important species.

🚣‍♂️ Offer recreational opportunities like boating, hiking, hunting, fishing, kayaking, and wildlife/bird watching.

Small in size, wetlands make a huge difference for water, wildlife, and communities.

📷1: Sunset over a salt marsh region in Everglades National Park, the third largest national park in the lower 48 United States.

📷2: Lassiter Swamp, at Merchants Millpond State Park, located along a tributary of the Chowan River in North Carolina. Photo Credit: Debra Willard, USGS.

📷3: A wetland area by Boulder Mountain, Utah, on a cloudy day in the fall, with autumn colors in the trees. Photo Credit: Shannon Lencioni, USGS.

#WorldWetlandsDay #Wetlands #WaterScience

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## Tags

waterscience, worldwetlandsday, wetlands

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