Patok Lagoon | |
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Location | Lezhë, Albania |
Coordinates | 41°37′44.4″N 19°35′27.6″E / 41.629000°N 19.591000°E |
Established | 3 November 2011 |
Patok Lagoon (Albanian: Laguna e Patokut) is a lagoon of the Adriatic Sea on the Mediterranean Sea in the central coast of Albania.
Created during the Holocene period, this area was characterized by a geo-morphologic dynamism. Its development spanned four phases, which correspond to the formation of four lagoons, separated by littoral cordons. The fourth lagoon is the current one. A fifth lagoon (the current outer lagoon) is in an active formation process, also influenced by a rapid development of the littoral cordon in the western part. The whole area is flat and characterized by an intensive tectonic process and numerous underground water bodies.
During the second half of the twentieth century, human activities played an important role in the changes of this ecosystem through activities such as drainage, dam construction and deforestation. The area's physical and geographical characteristics are the main basis for its development potential. It has a relatively mild winter and fresh summer. The sun shines for an average of 2,479 hours per year. The average annual temperature is 15.5 °C, and average annual rainfall is 1,463 centimetres (576 in).