paludification

English

Etymology

From Latin paludem +‎ ification.

Noun

paludification (countable and uncountable, plural paludifications)

1. The formation or expansion of swamp or bog.
   • 1958, The Pleistocene of Fuego-Patagonia - Part 2, page 113:

     On the eastern side of Lago Fontana small bogs are to be found here and there, paludifications of spring water where there is still sufficient moraine bed; most of them, however, are already dried and covered with sand.

   • 2000, Charles W. Johnson, Bogs of the Northeast, →ISBN:

     Each peatland has its own individuality within the broad themes; there may be both lakefill and paludification, or perhaps some combination of both; there may be “final” peatland stages either wooded or treeless —most, it would appear, are combinations, variable in space and time.

   • 2009, Sylvie Gauthier, Ecosystem Management in the Boreal Forest, →ISBN, page 263:

     One of the most significant ecological processes occurring in the black spruce forests of northern Abitibi is the paludification of forest soils (Boudreault et al. 2002; Fenton et al. 2005; Lavoie et al. 2005; Simard et al. 2007).

   • 2013, John A. Romberger, Peitsa Mikola, International Review of Forestry Research - Volume 1, →ISBN, page 45:

     Research by Backman (1919) proved, however, that only about 5% of the swamps had arisin in that way, and that the paludification of mineral soils was the most common source of swamps.

   • 2015, Randall J. Schaetzl, Michael L. Thompson, Soils, →ISBN, page 331:

     At sites undergoing paludification, litter can accumulate to great thicknesses, as soils become increasingly colder, wetter, and nutrient-poor.

Usage notes

Many authors restrict the meaning of this term to the formation of swampland in previously dry ground, but some also include the filling in of lakes, rivers, or ponds.