What are depressional wetlands?

Depressional wetlands are confined to topographic basins or hollows that are either too small or too shallow to form lakes or reservoirs. This is a very large category of wetlands that includes vernal pools and natural as well as artificial ponds. There is no minimum or maximum size for depressional wetlands. They often depend on multiple water sources, including local runoff, groundwater, and direct precipitation. Their waters can be saline, alkaline, or fresh.

Sunset State Beach area, near Santa Cruz
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