Hrvatske vode, Vol. 33 No. 132, 2025.
Review article
An overview of oceanographic research in the Kvarner and the neighbouring northern Adriatic Sea
Damir Viličić
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Prirodoslovno matematički fakultet, Horvatovac 102 A, Zagreb, Hrvatska
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* Corresponding author.
Abstract
This review paper summarizes the oceanographic properties of the Kvarner and neighbouring northern Adriatic Sea, as published in the most important scientific papers in the fields of geology, geophysics, chemistry and biology. The waters in the Kvarner are relatively deep, with an indented coastline. It is influenced by nutrient-poor karst waters and a strong northerly wind (bora). In winter, this wind increases surface water density, which, southwest of the Istrian Peninsula, along the Istrian Front, contributes to the creation of northern Adriatic dense water as well as initiation of the circulation in the entire eastern Mediterranean. Southwest of the Istrian Peninsula tip, the Senj cyclonic gyre enriches the area along the outer Kvarner islands with nutrients. In the oligotrophic, highly transparent Kvarner Sea, the productive zone moves from the surface to the deeper layers of the euphotic layer in summer. The underwater world of the Kvarner is rich in benthos and fish, among which goby species stand out, many of which are typical for the northern Adriatic.
Keywords
Rijeka Bay, Kvarner, oceanography, bora, marine organisms, Adriatic Sea
Hrčak ID:
350041
URI
Publication date:
6.7.2025.
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