lagoon

Introduction
Lagoon types
- Barrier island lagoons
- Coral lagoons
Nature of the lagoon environment
- Dimensions
- Water circulation
- Water temperature and salinity
- Equilibrium bottom profiles
Factors involved in lagoon formation
- Barrier bars and sediment sources
- Waves, tides, and surf
- Storms and catastrophic events
- The effect of time

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

The Hotel Zone, which sits on a former barrier island facing the Caribbean Sea, is linked by causeway to the city of Cancún, Mex. The calm blue water of Nichupte Lagoon is on the left.

A three-part diagram shows the formation of a coral atoll: first, a volcanic island with a surrounding coral reef; next, the island sinks as the coral reef grows upward; finally, the island disappears below the surface, leaving a ring-shaped atoll of coral with a central lagoon. Both top and side views are provided for each stage.

At a Glance

lagoon summary

Quizzes

water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)

Water and its Varying Forms

Related Questions

How are seiches produced in lagoons?
How can a sand spit develop into a bay-mouth barrier around a lagoon?
How can cuspate spits divide a lagoon into smaller bodies of water?
How can storms deposit sand and form beach ridges inside a lagoon?
How can strong winds change water levels and currents in a lagoon?
How can waves form inside a lagoon?
How deep are most coral lagoons?
How did Charles Darwin explain the formation of atolls and their lagoons?
How did the 1919 storm change Padre Island and nearby Texas lagoons?
How do atolls and lagoons form as volcanic islands subside?
How do barrier islands and tidal inlets support the movement of organisms between lagoons and the open sea?
How do barrier islands create lagoons between the coast and the sea?
How do coral lagoons differ from barrier island lagoons?
How do lagoon floors differ between coastal lagoons and coral lagoons?
How do lagoons form along coastlines?
How do plants and animals survive in hypersaline lagoons?
How do sedimentation and subsidence affect the depth of a lagoon?
How do storms and tsunamis alter the barriers surrounding lagoons?
How do tides circulate water through a barrier island lagoon?
How do waves help build the barriers that enclose coastal lagoons?
How does a slowly rising sea level contribute to lagoon formation?
How does coral growth allow an atoll lagoon to persist while its foundation sinks?
How does river runoff affect water movement in a coastal lagoon?
How does salinity vary in a lagoon with large amounts of freshwater runoff?
How does water circulation in a hypersaline lagoon differ from circulation in an estuary?
How salty are Laguna Madre in Texas and Syvash Sound near the Black Sea?
How were the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria, Australia, formed?
What are washover channels, and how do severe storms create them?
Where are coral lagoons commonly found in the Pacific Ocean?
Which world coastlines have many barrier island lagoons?
Why are barrier island lagoons usually long and narrow?
Why are coral lagoons limited mainly to tropical seas?
Why are coral reefs generally more resistant to storms than sandy barrier islands?
Why are some lagoons brackish?
Why are tidal currents strongest at lagoon inlets?
Why can sediment build up faster in a lagoon than in the nearby open ocean?
Why can shallow barrier island lagoons be colder than the open ocean during winter?
Why can shallow barrier island lagoons be warmer than the open ocean during summer?
Why can tidal currents be especially fast in passes through coral reefs?
Why do coastal lagoons often contain marshes and tidal flats?
Why is coarse sediment more common in lagoon channels than elsewhere in a lagoon?

Geography & Travel Physical Geography of Water

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External Websites

National Geographic - Lagoon
IOSR Journals - Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology - Environmental Changes of Lagoon Ecosystem in South East Asia Region: Ecological Perspectives and Future Directions
USGS Publications Warehouse - Coastal Estuaries and Lagoons: The Delicate Balance at the Edge of the Sea (PDF)
Tï¿½BİTAK - Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry - A concise study on essential parameters for the sustainability of Lagoon waters in terms of scientific literatureLagoon waters in terms of scientific literature

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

lagoon - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

lagoon

geography

Written by

Cuchlaine Audrey Muriel King

Emeritus Professor of Physical Geography, University of Nottingham, England. An authority on coastal geomorphology. Author of Beaches and Coasts; An Introduction to Oceanography.

Cuchlaine Audrey Muriel KingAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

lagoon, area of relatively shallow, quiet water situated in a coastal environment and having access to the sea but separated from the open marine conditions by a barrier. The barrier may be either a sandy or shingly wave-built feature (such as a sandbar or a barrier island), or it may be a coral reef. Thus, there are two main types of lagoons: (1) elongated or irregular stretches of water that lie between coastal barrier islands...

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