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How salty are Laguna Madre in Texas and Syvash Sound near the Black Sea?
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lagoon
Lagoons lie behind the coral reef and barrier islands surrounding Raiatea and Tahaa in the Society Islands, Pacific Ocean.
Both Laguna Madre in Texas and Syvash Sound near the Black Sea are classified as hypersaline lagoons, meaning they possess salinity levels significantly higher than that of the open ocean.1
The salinity levels for these bodies of water are as follows:
- Laguna Madre: 65 parts per thousand (ppt)1
- Syvash Sound: 132 ppt1
These high salinity levels occur because these lagoons are located in hot, arid regions where water loss through evaporation exceeds the amount of water received from land drainage. When exchange with the open sea is limited, the water becomes increasingly concentrated, sometimes leading to the formation of salt deposits.1