Lagoon Estuaries

Lagoons in the Gulf of Mexico are locally referred to as minor bays. Lagoons are also characterized by bar built estuaries but they lack direct river flow inflow and receive freshwater by ungagged runoff or as an indirect source via circulation from adjacent bays (Montagna et al. 2013). Circulation from adjacent bays, or inter-bay connections, is enhanced along Texas’ coast in the Gulf of Mexico by the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway extends from Mexico to Florida with predominant southeasterly winds that drive the currents within the lagoons towards the northeast. Ungauged runoff is freshwater flows from areas are not monitored by USGS storm gages and include flows downstream of storm gages to the point where the stream meets the estuary.