Blue Lagoon: what is it?

The older generation must remember the wonderful film “The Blue Lagoon”, which audiences at one time appreciated not only as a fascinating Robinsonade, but also as a film with amazing seascapes, because the action takes place on an island lost in the ocean. The tiny island with a border of sandy beach, covered with lush greenery, has delighted many, but not everyone knows what a sea lagoon is in real life.

Lagoon

The word comes from the Italian laguna, which in turn has its roots in the Latin lacus, meaning lake. So, let's figure out what a lagoon is. This is a small and shallow body of water, which is separated from the rest of the sea by islands or large coral reefs. This refers only to naturally formed bodies of water. The spit separating the lagoon from the sea can be a watershed between practically fresh and salt water. This happens if a large river flows into the lagoon; in our country this can be seen, for example, in the Kaliningrad Bay.

We have found out what a lagoon is, and now we will look at how it is formed. Firstly, the coral reef can begin to loop, and eventually forms a kind of large bowl in which there is water. Such coral lagoons are usually connected to the rest of the sea through small channels, and the water is thus constantly renewed. Secondly, currents during high and low tides can form a mound of sand and pebbles along the coastline. Over time, increasing, it forms a so-called bar. In the future, the bar will grow even larger and rise above the water level, blocking its access.

Origin story

Initially, the designation lagoon was used only for the shallow bay in which the city of Venice was once formed. This is one of the most typical lagoon towns. Later, Venetian merchants, traveling around the world, extended this name to various small bays that are found along the shores of the seas around the world.

Closed world

What is a lagoon? This is a completely unique separate world, which is closed from the rest of the sea. The spit is most often inhabited by numerous birds that create large colonies. Large animals have nothing to eat, so they are not found here. If this is a coral lagoon, then, accordingly, all of it is a large living organism consisting of coral branches. Otherwise, regardless of the type of water in the lagoon, it creates comfortable living conditions for various species of fish and insects, since large predators do not enter such places.

By the way, depending on what microorganisms live in this body of water, it can be painted in different colors. For example, there are pink lagoons in which phytoplankton live, producing a pigment of this color. The lagoon can be colored bright blue due to the high content of minerals in its water. The water from such reservoirs is considered healing, which is why lagoons often become expensive resorts.

So what is a lagoon? These are unique natural sites, many of which are under the protection of global environmental agencies.