Coordinating Institution:

Osservatorio Geofisico Sperimentale, Trieste, Italy (OGS)

Partner Institutions:

National Centre for Marine Research, Department of Physical Oceanography, Athens, Greece (NCMR)
Istituto Talassografico "F. Vercelli" (CNR), Trieste, Italy (IST)
Istituto di Biologia del Mare (CNR), Venezia, Italy (IBM)
University of Athens, Department of Applied Physics, Laboratory of Meteorology, Athens, Greece (UAT-DAP)

Objectives

The main objectives of this research project are:
- To improve knowledge of the hydrodynamics of the Strait of Otranto at synoptic, seasonal and interannual time scales;
- To estimate the exchanges of water and associated material between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, and to evaluate their variability;
- To increase understanding of the influence of the Strait upon the adjacent water bodies;
- To provide a consistent data set both for validation of the models and assessment of complementary programs.

Field Activity

The activities carried out at sea may be summarized as follows:
- 15 months of current measurements (from February 1994 to May 1995 ) recorded at 4 sites by means of self-recording current meters. Some of the moorings were equipped with sediment traps to evaluate the suspended matter transport (see figures).
- 6 hydrological cruises with CTD casts (temperature, salinity, transparency and fluorometry), sampling for dissolved oxygen, nutrients, clorophyll, (395 stations, in total).

The cruises calendar was:

           CRUISE              PERIOD            VESSEL
          Otranto 1    Feb 25 to Mar 04, 1994    URANIA
          Otranto 2    May 17 to May 22, 1994    AEGAEO
          Otranto 3    Aug 07 to Aug 15, 1994    URANIA
          Otranto 4    Nov 01 to Nov 04, 1994    AEGAEO
          Otranto 5    Feb 08 to Feb 12, 1995    AEGAEO
          Otranto 6    May 19 to May 24, 1995  ALLIANCE and MAGNAGHI

Results

Current Measurements
CTD Measurements
Chemical Characteristic
Fluxes of Particulate Matter
Nutrients and Particulate Matter
Variability, Thermohaline Properties and Circulation

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