Hydrogeomorphic Classification

The Hydrogeomorphic (HGM) Classification identifies groups of wetlands that function similarly using three criteria that fundamentally influence how wetlands function. These criteria are geomorphic setting, water source, and hydrodynamics. Geomorphic setting refers to the landform in which the wetland occurs, its geologic evolution, and its topographic position in the landscape. Water source refers to the primary source of the water entering the wetland. The three primary water sources are precipitation, overbank surface flow, or groundwater. Hydrodynamics refers to the level of energy and the direction that water takes as it moves into and through the wetland.

On the basis of these three classification criteria, any number of “functional” wetland groups can be identified at different spatial or temporal scales. There six hydrogeomorphic wetland classes in Minnesota are summarized in the table below.

Hydrogeomorphic Wetland Classes	Definition
Depression	Depression wetlands occur in topographic depressions (i.e., closed elevation contours) that allow the accumulation of surface water. Depression wetlands may have any combination of inlets and outlets or lack them completely. Potential water sources are precipitation, overland flow, streams, or groundwater and interflow from adjacent uplands. The predominant direction of flow is from the higher elevations toward the center of the depression. The predominant hydrodynamics are vertical fluctuations that range from diurnal to seasonal. Depression wetlands may lose water through evapotranspiration, intermittent or perennial outlets, or recharge to groundwater.
Lacustrine Fringe	Lacustrine fringe wetlands are adjacent to lakes where the water elevation of the lake maintains the water table in the wetland. In some cases, these wetlands consist of a floating mat attached to land. Additional sources of water are precipitation and groundwater discharge, the latter dominating where lacustrine fringe wetlands intergrade with uplands or slope wetlands. Surface water flow is bidirectional, usually controlled by water level fluctuations resulting from wind or seiche. Lacustrine wetlands lose water by flow returning to the lake after flooding and evapotranspiration. Organic matter may accumulate in areas sufficiently protected from shoreline wave erosion.
Riverine	Riverine wetlands occur in floodplains and riparian corridors in association with stream channels. Dominant water sources are overbank flow or backwater from the channel or subsurface hydraulic connections between the stream channel and wetlands. Additional sources may be interflow, overland flow from adjacent uplands, tributary inflow, and precipitation. When overbank flow occurs, surface flows down the floodplain may dominate hydrodynamics. In headwaters, riverine wetlands often intergrade with slope, depressional, poorly drained flat wetlands, or uplands as the channel (bed) and bank disappear. Perennial flow is not required. Riverine wetlands lose surface water via the return of floodwater to the channel after flooding and through surface flow to the channel during rainfall events. They lose subsurface water by discharge to the channel, movement to deeper groundwater (for losing streams), and evapotranspiration. Peat may accumulate in off-channel depressions (oxbows) that have become isolated from riverine processes and subjected to long periods of saturation from groundwater sources. Oxbow features in floodplains may assume depressional characteristics for most of the year. Perennial flow is not a requirement for a wetland to be classified as riverine. Riverine wetlands, as applied in the HGM classifications and assessment approach, differ from the riverine class of Cowardin et al. (1979) used for National Wetland Inventory maps of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The FWS definition includes only the riverbed, bank to bank; most portions of floodplain wetlands are classified as palustrine in the FWS classification. The HGM approach classifies these areas as riverine. Rivers and floodplains in the HGM approach are assumed to be integral parts of the riverine wetland ecosystem. For practical reasons, however, the two may have to be separated for the purpose of functional assessment.
Slope	Slope wetlands are found in association with the discharge of groundwater to the land surface or sites with saturated overland flow with no channel formation. They normally occur on sloping land ranging from slight to steep. The predominant source of water is groundwater or interflow discharging at the land surface. Precipitation is often a secondary contributing source of water. Hydrodynamics are dominated by downslope unidirectional water flow. Slope wetlands can occur in nearly flat landscapes if groundwater discharge is a dominant source to the wetland surface. Slope wetlands lose water primarily by saturated subsurface flows, surface flows, and evapotranspiration. Slope wetlands may develop channels, but the channels serve only to convey water away from the slope wetland. Slope wetlands are distinguished from depression wetlands by the lack of a closed topographic depression and the predominance of the groundwater/interflow water source. Fens are a common example of slope wetlands.
Mineral Soil Flats	Mineral soil flats are most common on interfluves, extensive relic lake bottoms, or large alluvial terraces where the main source of water is precipitation. They receive virtually no groundwater discharge, which distinguishes them from depressions and slopes. Dominant hydrodynamics are vertical fluctuations. Mineral soil flats lose water by evapotranspiration, overland flow, and seepage to underlying groundwater. They are distinguished from flat non-wetland areas by their poor vertical drainage due to impermeable layers (e.g., hardpans), slow lateral drainage, and low hydraulic gradients. Mineral soil flats that accumulate peat can eventually become organic soil flats. They typically occur in relatively humid climates. Pine flatwoods with hydric soils are an example of mineral soil flat wetlands.
Organic Soil Flats	Organic soil flats, or extensive peatlands, differ from mineral soil flats in part because their elevation and topography are controlled by vertical accretion of organic matter. They occur commonly on flat interfluves, but may also be located where depressions have become filled with peat to form a relatively large, flat surface. Water source is dominated by precipitation, while water loss is by overland flow and seepage to underlying groundwater. They occur in relatively humid climates. Raised bogs share many of these characteristics but may be considered a separate class because of their convex upward form and distinct edaphic conditions for plants. Northern Minnesota peatlands are examples of organic soil flat wetlands.

Source: A Hydrogeomorphic Classification for Wetlands, Brinson, M. M. (1993), Technical Report WRP-DE-4, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS