Laguna Madre is a coastal lagoon in Northeastern Mexico. It extends along the coast of Tamaulipas for over 200 km, from the Río Bravo Delta on the north to the mouth of the Soto la Marina River near La Pesca in the south.
Characteristics
The Laguna Madre is very shallow, with an average depth of only . The lagoon is connected to the ocean by only two narrow inlets, so the tidal range – which is already minor in this part of the Gulf of Mexico – is negligible. Atmospheric effects are much more important than tides in its circulation; its weak currents generally follow the prevailing winds, and these winds can influence the water level by as much as a meter.
Aquatic habitats include mangroves and large areas of seagrass beds with Halodule wrightii and other species. It is home to 26 species of waterfowl, including grey plover (Pluvialis squatarola), sanderling (Calidris alba), least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla), and piping plover (Charadrius melodus). Populations of redhead (Aythya americana) and northern pintail (Anas acuta) number over 100,000 individuals.
References
Sources
- “Laguna Madre – A New Day… Un Nuevo Día” (PDF) (Accessed 12/09/19) – US Fish and Wildlife Service
- The Nature Conservatory – “Laguna Madre” (Accessed 2/25/08)