Codrington Lagoon
| Codrington Lagoon | |
|---|---|
 Codrington Lagoon on the west of Barbuda[1] | |
  Codrington Lagoon Location within Antigua and Barbuda | |
| Location | Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda |
| Coordinates | 17°39′N 61°50′W / 17.650°N 61.833°W |
| Type | lagoon |
Surface area | 3,600 hectares (8,900 acres) |
| Settlements | Codrington |
Official name | Codrington Lagoon |
| Designated | 2 June 2005 |
| Reference no. | 1488[2] |
Codrington Lagoon is a lagoon and national park[3] on the west coast of Barbuda. It is the largest saltwater lagoon in the Eastern Caribbean.[4] The lagoon is home to the largest magnificent frigatebird colony in the world.[3] The village of Codrington, the main settlement on Barbuda, is located on the eastern shore of the lagoon.
Description
[edit]Codrington Lagoon measures 9 km long and 2.5 km wide,[5] covering 3,600 hectares and taking up a large portion of the island.[6] Its water is shallow (between 1–4.5 m deep[5]), and much of the shore of the northern half of the lagoon is marshland.
The lagoon is separated from the Caribbean Sea by 140–260 m wide natural barrier, approximately 1–3 m in height.[5] The barrier is made of coral, mollusks, algae, and foraminifers.[5] Three small channels provide access to the lagoon from the sea.[5]
History
[edit]Codrington Lagoon developed in the mid- to late-Holocene era.[7]
In 1960, a hurricane breached the southwest corner of the lagoon, temporarily opening a small passage to Caribbean Sea.[8] This breach, known as "The Canal", lasted approximately four months, and was used as an entrance for sloops coming from Antigua.[8]
In 2005, Codrington Lagoon was designated a Ramsar Site, as a wetland of international importance.[9]
Prior to 2017, the lagoon's connection to the Caribbean Sea was a small channel at the northern tip of the lagoon, called Cuffy Creek (locally "The Creek").[5] In 2017, Hurricane Irma destroyed a portion of the western edge of the lagoon and two inlets developed,[5] providing additional access to the lagoon from the sea.
Frigatebird colony
[edit]To the north of the lagoon is a magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) colony, on the tiny Man of War Island. The colony, known as the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, is one of the main ecotourism attractions in Barbuda. The colony is the largest in the world,[3] and is a Ramsar site.[10]
During the mating season (from September through March or April),[11][12][13] the male bird displays a large, scarlet red throat pouch to attract a female mate.[14][13] The pair will lay one egg on a nest built on the mangroves of Man of War island.[15][13] These birds do not walk or swim.[16] They live solely on fish, which they often steal from other birds, giving them their local name, Man of war. They have few predators in the lagoon, making this nesting site one of the most important in the world for the endangered species.
The colony had an estimated 2,500—5,000 nesting pairs prior to Hurricane Irma landfall in September 2017.[17][18] The lagoon was hit by Hurricane Irma's storm surge, and although there was a temporary decline in magnificent frigatebird numbers,[19] the population survived.[20]
References
[edit]- ↑ "NGA GEOnet Names Server". National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2008-07-07. Archived from the original on 2003-10-08. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ↑ "Codrington Lagoon". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- 1 2 3 "Codrington Lagoon, Antigua and Barbuda (National Park) - Ratings & Guide". International Parks. 2026-02-15. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ Penteado, Ana; Chakrabarty, Shambhu Prasad; Shaikh, Owais H. (2024-03-16). Traditional Knowledge and Climate Change: An Environmental Impact on Landscape and Communities. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-981-99-8830-3.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Biguenet, Maude; Chaumillon, Eric; Sabatier, Pierre; Bastien, Antoine; Geba, Emeline; Arnaud, Fabien; Coulombier, Thibault; Feuillet, Nathalie (2023-12-06). "Hurricane Irma: an unprecedented event over the last 3700 years? Geomorphological changes and sedimentological record in Codrington Lagoon, Barbuda". Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. 23 (12): 3761–3788. doi:10.5194/nhess-23-3761-2023. ISSN 1561-8633.
- ↑ "The List of Wetlands of International Importance" (PDF).
- ↑ Johnson, Lucille Lewis (1991-11-12). Paleoshorelines and Prehistory: An Investigation of Method. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-8855-2.
- 1 2 Russell, Richard Joel; McIntire, William G. (1967). Barbuda Reconnaissance. Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-0727-0.
- ↑ Gardner, Lloyd (January 3, 2007). "OECS Protected Areas and Associated Livelihood Project: Review of the Policy, Legal, and Institutional Frameworks For Protected Areas Management in Antigua and Barbuda" (PDF). obapao.org.
- ↑ "Antigua and Barbuda | the Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on Wetlands".
- ↑ The New Yorker. F-R Publishing Corporation. 1994.
- ↑ Carlozzi, Carl A.; Carlozzi, Alice A. (1968). Conservation and Caribbean Regional Progress. Antioch Press. ISBN 978-0-87338-062-1.
- 1 2 3 Nicholson, Desmond V. (2001). Heritage Landmarks: Antigua and Barbuda. Museum of Antigua and Barbuda.
- ↑ Etherington, Melanie (2002). The Antigua and Barbuda Companion. Interlink Books. ISBN 978-1-56656-477-9.
- ↑ Bendure, Glenda; Friary, Ned (1994). Eastern Caribbean: A Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit. Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 978-0-86442-235-4.
- ↑ Diamond, Antony W.; Schreiber, E. A. (2020). "Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.magfri.01. ISSN 2771-3105.
- ↑ Lewis, Emma; Sutton, Ann. "After the Storm". BirdsCaribbean. 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ↑ "Barbuda sees a comeback of national bird after Hurricane Irma". BBC. 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2026-04-23.
- ↑ "Barbuda Frigatebirds still AWOL after Irma". Antigua Observer Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-04-23.
- ↑ "Barbuda sees a comeback of national bird after Hurricane Irma". 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2026-01-26.