Talk:Q30198
Autodescription — marsh (Q30198)
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- View it! – Images depicting the item on Commons
- Report on constraint conformation of “marsh” claims and statements. Constraints report for items data
- Parent classes (classes of items which contain this one item)
- marsh (Q30198)
- wetland (Q170321)
- landscape (Q107425)
- natural geographic object (Q35145263)
- body of water (Q15324)
- ecosystem (Q37813) (⋔)→
- →(◊) habitat (Q52105)
- →(⋔) ecosystem (Q37813)
- wetland (Q170321)
- marsh (Q30198)
- Subclasses (classes which contain special kinds of items of this class)
- ⟨
marsh⟩ on wikidata tree visualisation (external tool)(depth=1) - Generic queries for classes
- See also
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{{Item documentation}}.
Marsh, Tidal Marsch or Swamp?[edit]
Marsh is defined in Wikidata Q62562206 as 'wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species', contraru to the definition of swamp. Marsh, morover, is reserved for lower wetland areas, whereas swamp connects to forested and more elevated riveraine terrains.
This may be in line with American ecological literature. It is, however, in conflict with the common English meaning of marsh as stated in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), under #1 and #2:
- 1. (a tract of) low-lying land, often flooded in wet weather and usually more or less waterlogged throughout the year;
- 2. [Agriculture; regional] A low-lying meadow or tract of fertile farming land requiring drainage; a stretch of grazing land near a river or the sea.
- 3. [Ecology]. An area of more or less permanently waterlogged mineral (rather than peaty) soil and herbaceous (rather than woody) plants.
This may lead to misunderstandings when connecting to other languages as well as to confusion with the wikidata items swamp and tidal marsh (= German: Marschland). In fact, in many instances English marsh(-land), Frenck marais and German Marsch are refering to 'embanked wetland', 'drained marshes' and 'polders', and not to inundated terrains (#2).
The confusion especially concerns German Sumpf and its Scandinavian derivatives, as well as Dutch moeras (though derived from French marais), which all exclusively mean (water-logged) swamps.
Under Talk:Q166735 I proposed some possible solutions to this problem. Otto S. Knottnerus (talk) 23:22, 11 July 2023 (UTC)