Laguna Madre (United States)

Coordinates: 26°45′N 97°25′W / 26.750°N 97.417°W / 26.750; -97.417
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This article is about the lagoon in the United States. For the lagoon in Mexico, see Laguna Madre (Mexico).

Laguna Madre
View of the Queen Isabella Causeway over Lower Laguna Madre
Location of Laguna Madre in Texas, USA.
Location of Laguna Madre in Texas, USA.
Laguna Madre
Location of Laguna Madre in Texas, USA.
Location of Laguna Madre in Texas, USA.
Laguna Madre
LocationSouth Texas Gulf Coast
Coordinates26°45′N 97°25′W / 26.750°N 97.417°W / 26.750; -97.417
Ocean/sea sourcesGulf of Mexico
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area280,910 acres (113,680 ha)[1]
SettlementsCorpus Christi, Laguna Vista, Port Isabel, Port Mansfield, South Padre Island

The Laguna Madre is a long, shallow,

Baffin Bay in Upper Laguna Madre, Red Fish Bay just below the Saltillo Flats, and South Bay near the Mexican border. As a natural ecological unit, the Laguna Madre of the United States is the northern half of the ecosystem as a whole, which extends into Tamaulipas, Mexico approximately 144 miles (232 km) south of the US border, to the vicinity of the Rio Soto La Marina and the town of La Pesca, extending approximately 275 miles (443 km) through USA and Mexico in total.[2]

The lagoon's ecosystem is protected by the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and the Padre Island National Seashore, as well as the privately owned King Ranch. The human history predates the formation of the Laguna Madre, and settlements have been established at Port Isabel and Port Mansfield on the lagoon's shores.

History

Laguna Madre was formed about 3,000 years ago, after the stabilization of the sea level on the Texas Coast, culminating in the rise of

Karankawa and Coahuiltecan Indians. The Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda is believed to be the first European to come in contact with Laguna Madre in the early 16th century, and is credited with giving it the name, which is Spanish for "mother lagoon".[4]

Several land grants were handed out by the Spanish government for ranching near the lagoon. The first was believed[

jetties.[9] The cut allows an influx of seawater into the Lower Laguna Madre to improve the fishing and shipping industry of Port Mansfield. The community had 415 residents in 2000.[8]

Features

Baffin Bay (light blue), Cayo del Grullo (pink), Upper Laguna Madre (yellow), Laguna Salada
(dark brown, directly to the left of Baffin Bay)
Lower Laguna Madre (yellow), Red Fish Bay (red), South Bay (light green)

Laguna Madre is found between the mainland of South Texas and Padre Island. At this location between the

Baffin Bay near Kingsville, and Bird Island on the eastern Padre Island shore, northeast of the opening of Baffin Bay. The Lower Laguna Madre includes the area south of the Saltillo Flats to the extension of South Bay near Port Isabel,[4] and is crossed by the Queen Isabella Causeway.[6] Included in the Lower Laguna Madre is Red Fish Bay, which is found along the shoreline of the King Ranch, south to Port Mansfield.[11] Together with its extensions, the lagoon forms one of seven major estuaries along the Gulf Coast of Texas.[1]

The lagoon is shallow and narrow, averaging only 3.6 feet (1.1 m) in depth and 4 miles (6.4 km) to 6 miles (9.7 km) in width. The depth is only 0.66 feet (20 cm) to 1.1 feet (34 cm) in the areas not dredged to form the 12-foot (3.7 m) deep, 138-foot (42 m) wide

Serpulid reefs, common in Baffin Bay, and elsewhere in the system, formed between 300 and 3,000 years ago by the annelid's calcareous tubes.[4]

Hypersalinity

Laguna Madre has a salinity of 36

Laguna Ojo de Liebre on the west coast of Baja California, Spencer Gulf and Shark Bay in Australia, and the Laguna Madre of Tamaulipas, which is sometimes grouped with the Laguna Madre of Texas as one system.[14]

The reasons for the lagoon's hypersalinity include its isolation from other bodies of water, the lack of a significant river source, and a high rate of evaporation caused by its shallowness and dry climate. Its salinity was even greater before the Port Mansfield Gulf Channel was dredged on Padre Island, which allowed a larger amount of seawater exchange. However, very little water exchange occurs at all;[10] every second only 25 cubic metres (6,600 US gal) of water flows into the lagoon.[12] Rainwater from tropical storms and hurricanes is the only significant fresh water the bay receives. The salinity is greatest in the Lower Laguna Madre, where it averages around 45 ppt.[10]

Ecosystem

The Laguna Madre is one of the most important and unspoiled lagoon ecosystems in Texas.[10] It is also one of the most protected in the United States; 75% of its shores are protected by the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge to the west and the Padre Island National Seashore on the east.[15] Fish, shrimp and crab, which feed the bird populations, depend on the lagoon and its plentiful beds of seagrass for survival. The seagrass of Laguna Madre accounts for 80% of all seagrass found off the Texas Coast; however, it is threatened by brown tides caused by poor circulation and dredging. An influx of seawater can sometimes replace the vital seagrass with oyster beds.[10]

Fish

Laguna Madre is home to more finfish than anywhere else on the Texas coast,

gray snapper, common snook, southern stargazer, southern stingray and tripletail.[16]

Birds

Many fowl migrate and live around the lagoon including 75% of all

Sea turtles and dolphins can be found in the bay, while cattle, white-tailed deer, nilgai and bobcats can sometimes be seen near the shore.[10]

In Laguna Madre, Bird Island Basin is home to a wide variety of birds when wet, including black-necked stilts, roseate spoonbills, great egrets, American white ibis, and many others.[17]

Industry

The ports of

Rio Grande Valley to decrease the shipment of oil and gas along the Intracoastal Waterway, greatly diminishing the chance of a spill. Activists have likewise railed against a proposed wind turbine farm off Baffin Bay, due to the potential harm to the scenic shores and the bird populations.[10]

The tourism industry is also a mainstay for communities on the lagoon. Beach-goers must pass the Laguna Madre to reach the prime beaching destination at both North and South Padre Islands. Fishing has drawn tourists to Port Isabel, where the Texas International Fishing Tournament has been held since 1934.[6] Visitors also flock to Bird Island off the western coast of Padre Island, for windsurfing, kayaking, and other water sports.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Laguna Madre Estuary". Texas Water Development Board. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  2. ISBN 1-58544-133-3
  3. ^ Smith, Suzanne; Steve Black. "Baffin Bay". Texas Beyond History. University of Texas. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d Blankinship, Randy; Kyle Spiller. "Laguna Madre". Texas Parks and Wildlife. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  5. ^ Garza, Alicia A. (May 30, 2010). "Kenedy County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e Garza, Alicia A. (May 30, 2010). "Port Isabel, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  7. ^ Brezosky, Lynn (September 15, 2002). "1 year later, causeway solution still debated". Houston Chronicle. Associated Press. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c Leatherwood, Art (May 30, 2010). "Port Mansfield, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
  9. ^ Breuer, Joseph P. (April 23, 1962). "An Ecological Survey of the Waters of Willacy and Kenedy Counties, Especially Those Waters Which are Affected by the Opening of Port Mansfield Pass and Channel" (PDF). Texas Coastal Erosion Data Network. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Patoski, Joe Nick (July 2008). "The Big Laguna". Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  11. ^ "Red Fish Bay". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. May 30, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  12. ^ a b c "Laguna Madre". GulfBase. Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  13. ^ Anderson, Genny (October 8, 2008). "Seawater Composition". Marine Science. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  14. ISBN 1-58544-133-3
    .
  15. ^ "Laguna Madre". The South Texas Map. Texmaps and Carson Map Company, Inc. 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  16. ^ "Water Body Records for Lower Laguna Madre". Texas Parks and Wildlife. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. June 3, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  17. ^ "Birdwatching". Padre Island National Seashore. National Park Service. Retrieved September 1, 2009.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laguna Madre, Texas.

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