General Circulation of the Northern Adriatic Sea: Results of Long-term Measurements

Residual sea currents of the northern Adriatic were analysed in the sense of the general (global) circulation, over a period of 42 months (in one main and two control stations). At the end of the summer season and the beginning of autumn (in the so-called ‘ inversion period ’) residual surface (6 m) sea currents at the main station showed characteristic seasonal behaviour: a change of direction from the north (NW, N, NE) to the south-east (SE). The sequence with SE directions lasted about 1•5 months. After that, directions changed again to the NW (or N). The direction of bottom residual currents (37 m) in this inversion period had the same pattern as the surface ones. This behaviour of the currents can be associated with the change of the cyclonic gyre into the anticyclonic. In all other periods at the main station the surface residual sea currents have predominant north directions. Bottom residual currents mainly followed the pattern of surface currents for all stations and periods, except during the periods from January to June 1990 and 1992, when they were of opposite direction at station B.