Terrigal Lagoon
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Terrigal Lagoon, an intermittently closed intermediate saline coastal lagoon, is located on the Central Coast of
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Terrigal Lagoon is located between the towns of
Terrigal Terrigal is a coastal town on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located east of Gosford on the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the local government area. At the 2021 census, the town had a population of . History Terrigal was fi ...
and
Wamberal Wamberal () is a coastal suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the local government area and is located adjacent to the Wamberal Lagoon. Wamberal is an Aboriginal word meaning 'where the sea breaks'. ...
, and adjacent to the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
, about north of
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
.


Features and location

The lagoon has a surface area of approximately and a catchment area of . When full, the Terrigal Lagoon covers an area of around . A large part of the upper catchment area of Terrigal Lagoon is rural land, most of which has been cleared. The lower slopes in the vicinity of the lagoon contain extensive urban development. South and west of the lagoon is the township of
Terrigal Terrigal is a coastal town on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located east of Gosford on the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the local government area. At the 2021 census, the town had a population of . History Terrigal was fi ...
. The northern part of the catchment includes part of the suburb of
Wamberal Wamberal () is a coastal suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the local government area and is located adjacent to the Wamberal Lagoon. Wamberal is an Aboriginal word meaning 'where the sea breaks'. ...
. A large knoll of land rises from the centre of the catchment separating the two arms of the lagoon. The Terrigal Country Club and Golf Course are located at the limit of the North Arm. The North Arm of the creek drains an area of approximately and the West Arm . Wamberal Lagoon and Avoca Lake located to the north and south respectively, are a short distance away.


Research of the Terrigal Lagoon

From 2005 to 2008 a study, led by Dr. John Marsdale from the University of Newcastle, completed a region-wide survey of waterways. As part of the study, the investigation included the availability of sunlight for plants, turbidity levels, population density of plants and animals residing in the lagoon area, potassium levels, oxygen levels, and water pH levels. The research team found that abiotic features in the area greatly affected biotic organisms within the lagoon. Marsdale's team also found that the light level available to shrubbery in the lagoon lessened over during the course of the study due to growth of taller trees taking critical sunlight from the smaller grounded plants. Marsdale discovered disturbingly high potassium levels in the area in comparison to elsewhere in the region. The potassium levels were affecting not only the fish in the lagoon but also the multitudes of plants that lined the waters edge. The team also found that there was an overall decrease in the distribution of species in the lagoon area particularly concerning animals and some fish species.


See also

*
List of lakes of Australia Natural freshwater lakes in Australia are rare due to the general absence of Glacier, glacial and Plate tectonics, tectonic activity in Australia. Types Most lakes in Australia fall within one of five categories. Excluding lakes and lagoons ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Terrigal Lagoon Lagoons of Australia Coastline of New South Wales Terrigal Lakes of New South Wales