Coastal ecosystems, including wetlands, help manage water quality by acting as sponges. Wetlands absorb high levels of nutrients that run off from land, such as nitrogen or phosphorus, and prevent them from entering major bodies of water, such as lakes and rivers. Researchers from Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) are studying nutrient processes in this wetland near Peepsock Trail in Houghton, Michigan.

Credit: Sarah Atkinson/Michigan Tech