Toward the Future

Despite the advent of direct current observations by means of currentmeter moorings, ADCPs and drifters, studies of thermohaline properties and numerical modeling, the circulation of the Adriatic Sea remains somewhat elusive. One can state with confidence that the circulation is mostly cyclonic, with up to three closed cells (in the southern, middle and northern basins, respectively). This pattern emerges from all observations and all model simulations. Nonetheless, seasonal variations in both intensity and location of the coastal currents (Western Adriatic and Eastern Adriatic Currents) and of the gyres above the Middle and South Adriatic Pits are very significant. There are also some hints of seasonally varying anticyclonic circulation features, but their location and duration are far less certain than those of the cyclonic gyres. In-situ and remotely sensed data also reveal a significant degree of variability at time scales shorter than seasonal, of which the dynamics have yet to be fully explored.