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Étang de Thau
The Étang de Thau (French pronunciation: [etɑ̃ də to]; Occitan: Estanh de Taur) or Bassin de Thau is the largest of a string of lagoons (étangs) that stretch along the French coast from the Rhône river to the foothills of the Pyrenees and the border to Spain in the Languedoc-Roussillon. Although it has a high salinity, it is considered the third largest lake in France.
It is about 21 kilometres (13 mi) long and 8 km wide, with an area of 7,012 hectares (27.07 sq mi). The mean depth of the lagoon is 4.5 metres (15 ft), but in the central navigation channel it can be 10 metres (33 ft) deep. Near Bouzigues is a 30-metre-deep (98 ft) depression with a diameter of 100 metres (330 ft). This 'Fosse de la Vise' is the source of a hot spring that feeds the spa in Balaruc.
Its size and depth, which distinguish it from other lagoons of the region, is explained by the geomorphology of the region since the syncline formed by folding produced the corresponding anticline of the Gardiole in the north-east.
Until relatively recently, the lagoons from Marseillan to the Rhône were a continuous stretch of inland waterway. Early settlers described this feature as "une petite mer intérieure et tranquille" ("a small, calm, inland sea"). It provided access to, in particular, Marseillan, a fishing village that became a trade centre.
Linked now by the Canal du Rhône à Sète to the river Rhône and by the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux via Toulouse, the lagoon also has access to the Mediterranean at Sète. There is also a small canal (le canal des Allemands or the pisse-saume) that links the western end to the sea at Marseillan Plage. This canal is only suitable for small craft since both road and railway bridges restrict height.
To the east, between Balaruc and Sète, the borders of the lagoon are largely industrial. The south bank is formed by the coastal strip from Sète to Cap d'Agde. The northern side has villages dedicated to fishing and the production of shellfish. There are harbours in the towns of Marseillan, Mèze and Bouzigues, with smaller ports dedicated to shellfish on the northern shore.
There is significant variation in the rainfall in the catchment basin for the lagoon, both seasonally and between years. The annual precipitation can range from 200 to 1,000 mm per year. As a result, the water temperature and salinity have extensive ranges. Water temperature ranges from 3 °C to 29 °C, with salinities of 27 to 40 psu. The salinity changes during the year with lows from February to June and peaks in July to January.
Located between the towns of Sète and Marseillan in the Hérault département, the Étang de Thau is shared administratively by the communes of (running clockwise), Balaruc-le-Vieux, Balaruc-les-Bains, Frontignan, Sète, Marseillan, Mèze, Loupian and Bouzigues.
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Étang de Thau AI simulator
(@Étang de Thau_simulator)
Étang de Thau
The Étang de Thau (French pronunciation: [etɑ̃ də to]; Occitan: Estanh de Taur) or Bassin de Thau is the largest of a string of lagoons (étangs) that stretch along the French coast from the Rhône river to the foothills of the Pyrenees and the border to Spain in the Languedoc-Roussillon. Although it has a high salinity, it is considered the third largest lake in France.
It is about 21 kilometres (13 mi) long and 8 km wide, with an area of 7,012 hectares (27.07 sq mi). The mean depth of the lagoon is 4.5 metres (15 ft), but in the central navigation channel it can be 10 metres (33 ft) deep. Near Bouzigues is a 30-metre-deep (98 ft) depression with a diameter of 100 metres (330 ft). This 'Fosse de la Vise' is the source of a hot spring that feeds the spa in Balaruc.
Its size and depth, which distinguish it from other lagoons of the region, is explained by the geomorphology of the region since the syncline formed by folding produced the corresponding anticline of the Gardiole in the north-east.
Until relatively recently, the lagoons from Marseillan to the Rhône were a continuous stretch of inland waterway. Early settlers described this feature as "une petite mer intérieure et tranquille" ("a small, calm, inland sea"). It provided access to, in particular, Marseillan, a fishing village that became a trade centre.
Linked now by the Canal du Rhône à Sète to the river Rhône and by the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux via Toulouse, the lagoon also has access to the Mediterranean at Sète. There is also a small canal (le canal des Allemands or the pisse-saume) that links the western end to the sea at Marseillan Plage. This canal is only suitable for small craft since both road and railway bridges restrict height.
To the east, between Balaruc and Sète, the borders of the lagoon are largely industrial. The south bank is formed by the coastal strip from Sète to Cap d'Agde. The northern side has villages dedicated to fishing and the production of shellfish. There are harbours in the towns of Marseillan, Mèze and Bouzigues, with smaller ports dedicated to shellfish on the northern shore.
There is significant variation in the rainfall in the catchment basin for the lagoon, both seasonally and between years. The annual precipitation can range from 200 to 1,000 mm per year. As a result, the water temperature and salinity have extensive ranges. Water temperature ranges from 3 °C to 29 °C, with salinities of 27 to 40 psu. The salinity changes during the year with lows from February to June and peaks in July to January.
Located between the towns of Sète and Marseillan in the Hérault département, the Étang de Thau is shared administratively by the communes of (running clockwise), Balaruc-le-Vieux, Balaruc-les-Bains, Frontignan, Sète, Marseillan, Mèze, Loupian and Bouzigues.