Introduction
DOLCEVITA is an international project focusing on the Adriatic Sea sponsored by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR). The project spans between October 2001 and September 2004, but its experimental phase is concentrated in the September 2002 - June 2003 time period. DOLCEVITA involves several oceanographers, both experimentalists and modelers, of the United States and Europe.Objectives
The main objective of the DOLCEVITA project is to quantify the kinematic and dynamic properties of the northern and middle Adriatic (NMA) Sea. In particular the experimental work includes the following tasks based on data provided by drifters and high-frequency coastal radars:- Describe the NMA surface circulation variability (Eulerian and Lagrangian statistics, major scales of variability, particle dispersion, etc.) and separate this variability into mean (over 6 months), synoptic (~10 days), mesoscale (a few days) and high-frequency (tidal, seiches, inertial) components.
- Describe the spatial structure and temporal variability of predominant mesoscale features, such as the cold filamentss rooted of the Croatian coast (NAF and MAF), and the instability of the Po River Plume and West Adriatic Current (WAC).
- Relate the mesoscale flow characteristics to the thermal and pigment signatures.
- Study the effect of wind forcing (Bora and Sirocco conditions) and bathymetry on the above-mentioned mesoscale circulation features.
- Determine the contribution of mesoscale circulation to the spreading and flushing of buoyant waters of riverine origin, and to lateral heat transport.
- Set up a new methodology using drifters, HF radars and remote sensing to study the mesoscale variability in coastal environments and marginal seas.
Links
DOLCEVITA web site at OGS - Dept. Oceanology, Trieste, ItalyEast Adriatic Coastal Experiment (EACE)
