How a distinction was made between open-sea and coastal upwelling in the Middle Adriatic

Dr. sc. Mirko Orlić

Recently, a project entitled Middle Adriatic Upwelling and Downwelling (MAUD) was carried out in the area between the islands of Blitvenica (close to the east coast) and Jabuka (in the open sea). Along with some preparatory measurements, the project resulted in five, mostly springtime studies of vertical motions and their relationship with biogeochemical processes over the 2017–2021 interval. As an example, the measurements performed in late May 2017 are considered here. The shipborne CTD data pointed to the existence of a dense water dome with its center being located at a distance of about 15–20 km from the coast, while the vessel mounted ADCP data showed that the surface circulation around the dome was cyclonic. At the same time, a decrease of temperature close to the coast was documented by bottom probes and satellite images. During the May 2017 experiment the northern winds prevailed, implying that the observations could be interpreted in terms of simultaneous occurrence of wind-driven open-sea and coastal upwelling. The interpretation was supported by a simple theory and a combination of the meteorological and oceanographic numerical modeling.

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