Laguna Madre
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One of only five hypersaline lagoons in the world, the Laguna Madre is one of the jewels of the gulf coast. The shallow waters extend from Corpus Christi, TX to the Mexican border and are incredibly productive. Important game fish, including speckled sea trout, red and black drum, and southern flounder, support a thriving recreational fishery. The Laguna Madre contains 80% of Texas seagrass and 11% of all seagrass along the US Gulf of Mexico coastline. The upper lagoon has higher salinity than the lower lagoon, ranging between 26 and 50 throughout the year and is dominated by Halodule wrightii, while the lower lagoon salinity is moderated by a stronger connection with the Gulf of Mexico (31-37 salinity throughout the year) and supports expansive Thallassia testudinum beds. A unique feature of the benthos are the diverse species of macro-algae, both rooted and drift forms. Acetubularia is common throughout the upper Lagoon. Shorelines are dominated by Spartina alterniflora and Batis maritima, but black mangrove Avicennia germinans has been slowly moving into the area and is present in small patches. Hard substrate habitat is rare, but Baffin Bay (a sub-bay within the larger system) is home to ancient serpulid worm reefs.
MarineGEO Texas performs annual sampling in the upper lagoon near the TAMUCC field station situated on an island near Nighthawk Bay off the bay side of Padre Island National Park. |
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