Prairie Pothole Region

Barringer Slough in Iowa, a remnant of the extensive prairie wetlands that once covered the region.

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR; French: Région des cuvettes/fondrières des prairies) is an expansive area of the northern Great Plains that contains thousands of shallow wetlands known as potholes. These potholes are the result of glacier activity in the Wisconsin glaciation, which ended about 10,000 years ago. The decaying ice sheet left behind depressions formed by the uneven deposition of till in ground moraines. These depressions are called potholes, glacial potholes, kettles, or kettle lakes. They fill with water in the spring, creating wetlands, which range in duration from temporary to semi-permanent.^[1] The region covers an area of about 800,000 sq. km and expands across three Canadian provinces (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta) and five U.S. states (Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota, and Montana). The hydrology of the wetlands is variable, which results in long term productivity and biodiversity. The PPR is a prime spot during breeding and nesting season for millions of migrating waterfowl.^[2]

^ Johnson, W. Carter; Millet, Bruce V.; Gilmanov, Tagir; Voldseth, Richard A.; Guntenspergen, Glenn R.; Naugle, David E. (2005). "Vulnerability of Northern Prairie Wetlands to Climate Change". BioScience. 55 (10): 863. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[0863:vonpwt]2.0.co;2. ISSN 0006-3568.
^ "Prairie Pothole Region". www.ducks.org. Retrieved 2019-11-13.

[:0-1] Johnson, W. Carter; Millet, Bruce V.; Gilmanov, Tagir; Voldseth, Richard A.; Guntenspergen, Glenn R.; Naugle, David E. (2005). "Vulnerability of Northern Prairie Wetlands to Climate Change". BioScience. 55 (10): 863. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[0863:vonpwt]2.0.co;2. ISSN 0006-3568.

[2] "Prairie Pothole Region". www.ducks.org. Retrieved 2019-11-13.

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