*2.4. Thermohaline Structure*

The thermohaline structure of this lagoon, similar to many coastal systems, has important variations at different temporal scales throughout the year, giving variations in the potential energy obtained from SGE. According to the salinity and temperature characteristics, La Carbonera has four defined zones [32–35] (Figure 1) as follows:


The temperatures in zones 2, 3, and 4 show seasonal (15–37 ◦C) and daily variations of up to 10 ◦C and 20 psu or more in salinity. This lagoon has a strong horizontal salinity gradient, with hypersaline characteristics in the east, marine in the centre, estuarine in the west, and a freshwater zone in the southwest. In Appendix A, the salinity patterns of the lagoon are shown.
