The inland Sea : circulation of Chesapeake Bay and the Northern Adriatic

Boicourt, William C; Kuzmić, Milivoj (1999) The inland Sea : circulation of Chesapeake Bay and the Northern Adriatic. In: Ecosystems at the Land-Sea Margin Drainage Basin to Coastal Sea. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, pp. 81-129. ISBN 0-87590-269-3

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Abstract

Despite obvious differences in the scale and aspect ratio of their basins, the Chesapeake Bay and the Northern Adriatic Sea share similar histories of nutrient enrichment, and similar nutrient pathways. Buoyancy and nutrients are delivered by a primary source located at the landward end of elongated, enclosed, coastal body of water. This geometry encourages thermohaline circulations that act to retain water-borne materials and thereby set the stage for possible eutrophication. Deciphering nutrient pathways within these slowly varying circulations might be comparatively straightforward were it not for the often dominating presence of wind-driven motions. In the Northern Adriatic, winds with identities -- Bora and Sirocco -- rule the circulation during their visits. Even in the face of strong stratification, winds mix the shallow water columns of both the Chesapeake and Northern Adriatic, occasionally to the point of homogeneity. Air-sea interactions associated with these winds alter the density structure of both systems, but in the Adriatic, they drive an important thermohaline circulation.Quantitative assessment of various nutrient management strategies will require an improved understanding of the details of circulation pathways throughout the seasonal progression of atmospheric forcing and of buoyancy and nutrient inputs in both water bodies. Crucial questions remain, many of which center on physical-biological interactions in the vertical dimension. In the Northern Adriatic, a key question is the mechanism and degree of lateral transport of water and nutrients out of the Po River plume and into the interior. In both the Chesapeake Bay and the Northern Adriatic, a coupled physical-biological model would greatly aid the attack on these problems. Analytical efforts in Chesapeake Bay have been supported by a rich set of synoptic and time-series measurements. Similar modeling efforts in the Northern Adriatic have progressed without the benefit of this level of observation, but the pace of future advancements will hinge on obtaining this information.

Item Type:	Book Section
Uncontrolled Keywords:	circulation; Chesapeake Bay; Northern Adriatic
Subjects:	NATURAL SCIENCES > Geophysics > Physical Oceanography
Divisions:	Division for Marine and Enviromental Research
Depositing User:	Milivoj Kuzmić
Date Deposited:	16 Jul 2015 16:02
URI:	http://fulir.irb.hr/id/eprint/2084
DOI:	10.1029/CE055p0081

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