Lagoon

Lagoon

A lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt or brackish water separated from the deeper sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral reef, or similar feature. Thus, the enclosed body of water behind a barrier reef or barrier islands or enclosed by an atoll reef is called a "lagoon". This application of "lagoon" in English dates from 1769. It adapted and extended the sense of the Venetian "laguna" ("cf" Latin "", ‘empty space’), which specifically referred to Venice’s shallow, island-studded stretch of saltwater, protected from the Adriatic by the barrier beaches of the Lido ("see Venetian Lagoon"). "Lagoon" refers to both coastal lagoons formed by the build-up of sandbanks or reefs along shallow coastal waters, and the lagoons in atolls, formed by the growth of coral reefs on slowly sinking central islands. Lagoons that are fed by freshwater streams are also called estuaries.

Many lagoons do not include "lagoon" in their common names. Albemarle Sound in North Carolina, Great South Bay, between Long Island and the barrier beaches of Fire Island in New York; Isle of Wight Bay, which separates Ocean City, Maryland from the rest of Worcester County, Maryland; Banana River in Florida; and Lake Illawarra in New South Wales are all lagoons, despite their names. In the UK there are lagoons at Montrose, (Scotland) and Tywyn, (Wales), whilst the expanse of water inside Chesil Beach, England, known as The Fleet, could also be described as a lagoon. There is also one near the small town of Dingle in Western Ireland. Some of the famous lagoons in India are the Chilika Lake in Orissa, near Puri, and the Vembanad Lake in Kerala. Both are connected to the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea respectively through a narrow channel.

In Latin America often the use of “laguna”, which lagoon translates to, is used to describe a lake, such as Laguna Catemaco.


=

ee also

* Anaerobic lagoon
* Aerated lagoon
* Kerala backwaters


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Synonyms:
(shallow and communicating with the sea)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • lagoon — la*goon (l[.a]*g[=oo]n ), n. [It. or Sp. laguna, L. lacuna ditch, pool, pond, lacus lake. See {Lake}, and cf. {Lacuna}.] [Written also {lagune}.] 1. A shallow sound, channel, pond, or lake, especially one into which the sea flows; as, the lagoons …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lagoon — 1670s, lagune, earlier laguna (1610s), from Fr. lagune or directly from It. laguna pond, lake, from L. lacuna pond, hole, from lacus pond (see LAKE (Cf. lake) (1)). Originally in reference to the region of Venice; applied 1769 (by Capt. Cook) to… …   Etymology dictionary

  • lagoon — [n] shallow body of water bayou, gulf, marsh, pond, pool, shallows, shoal, tidal pond; concept 514 …   New thesaurus

  • lagoon — ► NOUN 1) a stretch of salt water separated from the sea by a low sandbank or coral reef. 2) N. Amer. & Austral./NZ a small freshwater lake near a larger lake or river. ORIGIN Italian and Spanish laguna, from Latin lacuna pool …   English terms dictionary

  • lagoon — [lə go͞on′] n. [< Fr lagune & It laguna < L lacuna: see LACUNA] 1. a shallow lake or pond, esp. one connected with a larger body of water 2. the area of water enclosed by a circular coral reef, or atoll 3. an area of shallow salt water… …   English World dictionary

  • Lagoon — Un lagoon y otras formas costeras. Garabogaz Göl, un lagoon en …   Wikipedia Español

  • Lagoon — 40° 59′ 08″ N 111° 53′ 41″ W / 40.985556, 111.894722 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • lagoon — lagoonal, adj. /leuh goohn /, n. 1. an area of shallow water separated from the sea by low sandy dunes. Cf. laguna. 2. Also, lagune. any small, pondlike body of water, esp. one connected with a larger body of water. 3. an artificial pool for… …   Universalium

  • lagoon — UK [ləˈɡuːn] / US [ləˈɡun] noun [countable] Word forms lagoon : singular lagoon plural lagoons 1) an area of the sea that is separated from the rest of the sea by sand or rocks 2) American an area of fresh water, especially a small one beside a… …   English dictionary

  • lagoon — lagūna statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Negili (dažnai sekli) įlanka, kurią nuo jūros skiria nerija, rifas, atolas. Su jūra jungiasi neplačiu sąsiauriu (arba keliais sąsiauriais), todėl vandens druskingumas, dugno nuosėdos,… …   Ekologijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

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