The Gulf of Naples is a coastal area of the south-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean) in which zones of great environmental and touristic value coexist with one of the largest seaports in the Mediterranean Sea, industrial settlements and many other pollution sources, in a context characterized by a very intense anthropic pressure. In such an environment, water renewal mechanisms are of crucial importance for the good ecological status of coastal waters. In this papers we focus on water exchange between the interior of the Gulf and the neighboring open Tyrrhenian sea. The surface dynamics of the Gulf has been investigated on the basis of measurements carried out with a HF radar system, which has proved to be an excellent tool for the synoptic assessment of the dynamics of coastal areas. The vertical component of the current field has been provided by an ocean circulation model, the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), implemented in a larger area of the Tyrrhenian Sea which includes the Gulf of Naples. We present results of a one-year long analysis of data and simulation results relative to the year 2009, which was characterized by episodes of severe decrease of the water quality in the southeastern sector of the Gulf. The general description of the dynamics of the area is accompanied by a detailed analysis of in-/offshore exchanges, assessed by looking at the zonal component of the surface and subsurface current field across a transect which represents a sort of threshold between the interior of the Gulf and the open sea. This also allows to reconstruct the short-term origin of waters found inside the Gulf in the different forcing and circulation conditions.

Inshore/offshore water exchange in the Gulf of Naples

CIANELLI, DANIELA;FALCO, Pierpaolo;IERMANO, ILARIA;BUONOCORE, Berardino;ZAMBIANCHI, Enrico
2015-01-01

Abstract

The Gulf of Naples is a coastal area of the south-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean) in which zones of great environmental and touristic value coexist with one of the largest seaports in the Mediterranean Sea, industrial settlements and many other pollution sources, in a context characterized by a very intense anthropic pressure. In such an environment, water renewal mechanisms are of crucial importance for the good ecological status of coastal waters. In this papers we focus on water exchange between the interior of the Gulf and the neighboring open Tyrrhenian sea. The surface dynamics of the Gulf has been investigated on the basis of measurements carried out with a HF radar system, which has proved to be an excellent tool for the synoptic assessment of the dynamics of coastal areas. The vertical component of the current field has been provided by an ocean circulation model, the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), implemented in a larger area of the Tyrrhenian Sea which includes the Gulf of Naples. We present results of a one-year long analysis of data and simulation results relative to the year 2009, which was characterized by episodes of severe decrease of the water quality in the southeastern sector of the Gulf. The general description of the dynamics of the area is accompanied by a detailed analysis of in-/offshore exchanges, assessed by looking at the zonal component of the surface and subsurface current field across a transect which represents a sort of threshold between the interior of the Gulf and the open sea. This also allows to reconstruct the short-term origin of waters found inside the Gulf in the different forcing and circulation conditions.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11367/30134
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