Difference between lake and lagoon

Lakes are bodies of water, mostly sweets, which can have a large extension and are separated from the sea. The water of the lakes, can come from both rivers and Rajas, and groundwater or rain. But not only have a water input, they also have outputs in the form of rivers or sea outputsso the water is never stagnant but there is current even if it is often not noticeable.

At this point it should be noted that those very large lakes that have no way out of the sea can also be known as a closed sea, a classic example is that of the Caspian Sea, which is actually a lake.

The lagoons are Natural water deposits separated from the sea, from shallow depth and whose waters are usually salty or brackish. As a result of their low depth and sedimentation, lagoons are usually sites where a lot of vegetation grows and house a great fauna. Unlike the lakes, where only plants grow in the margins, the lagoon can contain plants with roots throughout its extension.

Now that we already know the definitions of Lake and Laguna, we are probable that we still have doubts about their differences. Next we explain them so you can understand it perfectly.

In general, the differences between lake and lagoon are 5:

• The depth
• If the water is stagnant
• If they are fresh or salty water
• Water temperature
• Drop

Next, we will explain in detail the differences between lake and lagoon For each of these aspects.

Depth

Although many people believe that a key element is the size of reality is that the most important thing to establish whether it is a lake or a lagoon is depth. The little depth of the lagoons It is an essential difference with the lake. Clear limits cannot be established, as these depend on the area and the country. For example, in Spain the limit is marked in 15 meters while in the US the limit depth are 3 meters. Anyway, a lagoon always has shallow depth, unlike the lake, which is always deeper. That said, it is true that in general the lake is larger than the lagoon.

Stagnant water

The lagoon only has water input and has no way out, while the lake has inlets and outputs. Obviously, in the lakes, for most of the time you enter more water than it leaves – but would disappear – that is why the sensation of stagnant water is created when it is not really. Unlike these The lagoons are stagnant bodies of water.

Fresh or salty water

Go ahead that this is not a 100% reliable element, since we find waters of different nature both in lakes and in lagoons, but it can serve as an orientative factor when establishing the differences between lake and lagoon. That said, in general, the lagoons are of salt water, well why they are next to the sea separated by an arm of earth, well because their sedimentation gives you some salts that this nature gives them. For its side, the Lakes are usually freshwater.

Water temperature

Related to the point of depth. As the lagoons have very shallow, the sun’s rays heat their waters in a homogeneous way, so all the water has the same temperature. The difference between the lagoon and the lake is that the second, having more depth, is created different temperature layers depending on the depth of the waters. Usually, surface waters are hotter, while casualties are colder.

Drop

As we have already explained, one of the differences between Lake and Laguna is that the latter have no water outlet. This makes, when due to a drought or for whatever, the lagoon fails to feed on water will end up disappearing. But what are the differences between the destruction of the lagoon and the lake? While The lagoons evaporate or filtersince there is no water stream, the lakes disappear when more water comes out to the rivers and streams than it enters.

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