Question

At some places along the coast, the low lying areas turn into lagoons or marshy lands. Give geographical reasons.

Answer 1

A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by barrier island or reefs. Lagoons are commonly divided into coastal lagoons and atoll lagoons. They have also been identified as occurring on mixed-sand and gravel coastlines. There is an overlap between bodies of water classified as coastal lagoons and bodies of water classified as estuaries. Lagoons are common coastal features around many parts of the world.

Answer 2

Reasons why low lying coastal areas turn into lagoons or marshy lands:

• Increasing mean sea levels have made coasts vulnerable to frequent flooding.

• The water that rises up to cover the coasts on the days of 'high tide' does not completely recede back to the sea.

• Rather, it remains logged on the coasts and leaves them inaccessible.

• Before the water gets time to evaporate or to recede back to the sea, there is a new high tide and the coasts are again turned into wetlands.

• Moreover, the absence of vegetation (like mangroves) on the coasts also contributes to the dominance of tides.

• Thus, repeated flooding and absence of vegetation is the major geographic reason behind low lying coasts turning into lagoons and marshy lands.