The main broad area has traditionally been made up of a number of smaller bodies of water and in 1996 a number of small pools were created to combat the impact of coastal erosion and increasing water salinity on habitats.[3] At a 1997 survey, had an area of Шаблон:Convert.[3][4] At the end of November 2011 a high tidal surge broke through the narrow beach separating the Broad from the sea, inundating the area and increasing the salinity markedly. A survey in February 2012 found that the area of the broad had increased to Шаблон:Convert and that the salinity of the water had increased to 22 parts per thousand. The water depth had also increased, although some separate pools within the lagoon area had remained as fresh water.[3]
In 2020, the beach was again breached and currently (December 2020) a channel allows salt water to enter the broad at high tide, and the dresh water to drain from the broad as the tide drops.
↑ 3,03,13,2Ecological Surveys of Saline Lagoons on the Benacre NNR and Suffolk Coast NNR February 2012, Abrehart ecology, February 2012. (Available online. Retrieved 2016-08-28).
