A lagoon is an 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. Continue reading from Encyclopedia Britannica
A lagoon is a body of water separated from larger bodies of water by a natural barrier. Lagoons are separated from larger bodies of water by sandbars, barrier reefs, coral reefs, or other natural barriers. The word "lagoon" derives from the Italian word laguna, which means "pond" or "lake." Although lagoons are well defined geographically, the word “lagoon” is sometimes used as a name for a larger region that contains one or more lagoons. For example, Laguna Madre on the Texas Gulf Coast is actually made up of smaller bays and lagoons, while Laguna Beach in Southern California is actually a beach and not a lagoon at all. Continue reading from National Oceanic Service
Lagoons lie at the boundary between the ocean and land, house a unique mosaic of habitats from sea to land. Apart from the habitats of lagoons and estuaries, there may be barrier islands, spits, beaches, sand dunes, salt marshes, seagrasses within lagoons and estuaries, as well as mangroves fringing their shores (de Wit, 2011). This high ecosystem diversity within the immediate landscape of lagoons and estuaries, gives rise not only to high species diversity but also to the creation of ecotones. Continue reading from International Union for Conservation of Nature
