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Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs pp 171–174Cite as

Coastal Lagoons

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonyms

Inland coastal water bodies

Definition

Coastal lagoons. Water bodies connected to the sea through one or more channels, known as inlets, which often cuts through a narrow barrier island of erodible material. Water exchange occurs between the lagoon and the sea because of tides, river flow, wind, and waves. Depending on the ratio between the salt water and the freshwater flows taking part in this exchange, stratified conditions may develop and density-driven currents will be important for the mixing and environmental conditions of the lagoon (compare estuarine hydrology). Coastal lagoons may close, intermittently of permanently, if the water exchange is not sufficient to keep the inlets free of sediment.

Introduction

Lagoons are common water bodies in many parts of the world and it has been estimated that approximately 13% of the world’s coastline is occupied by lagoons (Barnes, 1980). The occurrence of lagoons is rather similar on the different continents, but they tend to be...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Water Resources Engineering, Lund University, Box 118, 22100, Lund, Sweden

    Prof. Magnus Larson

Authors
  1. Prof. Magnus Larson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Magnus Larson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Lars Bengtsson

  2. Reading, UK

    Reginald W. Herschy

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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Larson, M. (2012). Coastal Lagoons. In: Bengtsson, L., Herschy, R.W., Fairbridge, R.W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4410-6_236

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