Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas

Kauaʻi record · KCA-EP-0153

Wetland drawdown and reflooding cycle

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Natural-history illustration of wetland drawdown and reflooding cycle on Kauaʻi.
Atlas illustration of wetland drawdown and reflooding cycle.

About Wetland drawdown and reflooding cycle

Alternation of exposed and inundated conditions that resets vegetation and food availability.

Names and classification

Other names
wetland drawdown; reflooding cycle
Family
Wetland, Estuary & Anchialine Dynamics
Record type
ecological_process

Habitat and ecology

Ecological role
Supports Atlas reasoning about ecosystem function, dependencies, threats, conservation leverage points and cross-module consequences.

Process and seasonal context

Definition
Alternation of exposed and inundated conditions that resets vegetation and food availability.
Drivers
tides; groundwater; river flow; salinity; water management; vegetation
Inputs
freshwater; seawater; nutrients; sediment; organisms
Outputs
brackish habitat; prey production; nutrient transformation; nursery habitat
Spatial scales
pool → wetland → estuary → coastal aquifer
Temporal scales
tidal → seasonal → multiyear
Validity and limits
Context-specific; do not extrapolate across habitat, season, elevation, salinity or disturbance state without evidence.

Sources and further reading

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