bottomlands

Bottomlands are low-lying lands adjacent to rivers, streams, or coastal estuaries that are regularly or periodically flooded. The term is often used interchangeably with floodplains, but bottomlands can also include seasonally wet lowlands some distance from the main channel. These areas are dynamic, with water levels and flood extents changing over time.

Soils are typically alluvial and nutrient-rich, formed by repeated deposition of sediment during floods. They often include hydric soils, saturated sections, and high groundwater tables. The landscape shifts with floods, creating a mosaic of channels, levees, and backwaters.

Ecologically, bottomlands are highly productive and biologically diverse. They support floodplain forests and wetlands, providing critical habitat for fish, amphibians, and migratory birds. Common vegetation includes cottonwood, willows, and sycamore in temperate zones, and baldcypress in some subtropical or tropical regions.

Humans use bottomlands for agriculture, timber, and sometimes urban development. Flood control projects, drainage, and river engineering have altered natural hydrology, reducing seasonal inundation and sediment deposition. In turn, floodplain functions such as nutrient recycling, groundwater recharge, and habitat provision have diminished.

Conservation and restoration efforts seek to reestablish floodplain connectivity through levee setbacks, reforestation, and wetland restoration. In many regions, protected areas or restoration projects aim to preserve remaining bottomlands as buffers against floods, supports for biodiversity, and sources of ecosystem services. Climate change poses additional pressures.