Coastal Ecology
The Laguna Madre Is One of the World's Few Hypersaline Lagoons
Low rainfall and high evaporation make the Laguna Madre saltier than the open ocean — a rare condition that shapes the entire ecosystem.
The Laguna Madre gets little rain and loses a lot of water to evaporation. That makes it saltier than normal seawater. This condition is called hypersaline. It is the only hypersaline coastal lagoon in North America and one of only five in the world. About 80 percent of Texas's remaining seagrass habitat grows here because of these conditions.
Seagrass beds support fish, shrimp, and crabs throughout the food chain. Brown tide algal blooms can hurt seagrass by blocking sunlight. Cold fronts can cause fish kills. The lagoon stretches from Corpus Christi south to the Rio Grande. The lower section runs along Cameron County's coast.
Source to confirm: TPWD — Laguna Madre Short Report