e 1987 Corps of Engineers Manual on wetland delineation does not consider unvegetated aquatic sites such as mudflats and coral reefs or vegetated shallow water to be wetland areas, whereas the Cowardin classification does (US ACOE 1987).
             In 1979, a comprehensive classification system of wetlands and deepwater habitats was developed for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Cowardin et al. 1979). Under this system, wetlands are of two basic types: coastal (also known as tidal or estuarine wetlands) and inland (also known as non-tidal, freshwater, or palustrine wetlands). Inland wetlands include floodplains along rivers and streams (e.g., bottomlands and other riparian wetlands); isolated depressions surrounded by dry land (e.g., prairie potholes); areas where the groundwater intercepts the soil surface (e.g., fens) or where precipitation saturates the soil for a season or longer (e.g., vernal pools and bogs). Certain types of inland wetlands are common
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