ABSTRACT
Protection and management of our natural resources and restoration of those resources that have been destroyed or damaged requires consideration of all three themes of environmental gradients, boundaries, and buffers. In some cases, wetlands form an ecotone between upland and deepwater habitat; in many cases, wetlands are the endpoint of ground and surface water flows, and sometimes the wetland itself is large enough to contain significant environmental gradients. Materials and energy flow along these environmental gradients across the boundaries and buffers. Wetland scientists need to identify the sources of ground water and quantify the inputs and outputs in order to estimate nutrient budgets. Riparian zones and riparian buffers provide good examples of landscape situations for three-dimensional thinking specific to wetlands and ground water. Riparian buffers are important for preventing erosion, controlling movement of surface water and sediment into wetlands, and improving the quality of surface water, but their role in improving the quality of ground water is less clear.
