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The Boka Kotorska Bay Environment pp 69–88Cite as

Morphobathymetry of Boka Kotorska Bay

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Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 54))

Abstract

Boka Kotorska Bay is an enclosed water body with a narrow and shallow connection to the Adriatic Sea; the shallowest point is only 37.6 m deep at present, limiting exchange of water with the Adriatic. The Bay is one of the most important transitional areas of the Adriatic from both an environmental and a socio-economic viewpoint. High resolution geophysical data collected during several scientific cruises carried out between 2008 and 2013 reveal unknown details of present-day morphology and sedimentary infilling geometry. Multibeam bathymetry combined with seismic reflection images suggests that the observed morphologies are due to the interaction at different timescales of climate, water circulation, sealevel changes, erosion, sedimentation and tectonics constrained by the geological and structural setting of the area. The Bay is composed by three major basins (Herceg Novi, Tivat and Morinj–Risan–Kotor), connected by two narrow straits (Kumbor and Verige) with a maximum depth of 67 m. It shows steep upper slopes and flat sub-basin central sectors lying at depths ranging from 35 to 45 m. Among the several morphological features shaping the seafloor, we note: deeply incised valleys and delta fans related to past sealevel falls; slope failures and mass wasting triggered by strong earthquakes; channels bounding the steep slopes of Kumbor and Verige narrow passages, and sediment wave fields in Verige Strait formed by strong bottom currents; and karst morphologies developing at seafloor with submarine siphons, springs and resurgences (pockmarks) fed by karst hydrology of Boka Kotorska Bay’s surroundings.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been carried out in the framework of ADRICOSM-STAR Project with the financial support of the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea and the coordination of CMCC. We thank E. Bonatti and M. Cuffaro for their comments that helped to clarify and improve this paper.

We are deeply sorry to report the sudden demise of Giovanni Bortoluzzi, the first author of this paper, on October 5, 2015. Since 1977, he has been working at the Institute of Marine Sciences of the National Research Council of Bologna. He gained a diploma of industrial engineer and never bothered to get a degree, but his scientific contribution, even if interrupted so abruptly, was crucial. The fact of not having degrees or professorships allowed him to cultivate cross and multidisciplinary interests. He contributed in numerous international publications including the very prestigious Nature and Science. He sailed, led or participated to scientific expeditions, not only in the Mediterranean, but also in the Red Sea, the Equatorial and South America, the Pacific and in the peri-Antarctic Oceans. On the one hand, he was unmatched in the management of offshore instrumentation; on the other hand, he was equipped with a great insight to recognize and develop scientific issues of great importance. He had accumulated a wealth of experience that made him a valuable teacher for young scholars, but remained a person of great modesty and humanity.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Scienze Marine, CNR, Via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy

    Giovanni Bortoluzzi, Federico Giglio, Marco Ligi, Fabrizio Del Bianco, Valentina Ferrante, Luca Gasperini & Mariangela Ravaioli

  2. ProAmbiente S.c.r.l., CNR, Via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy

    Fabrizio Del Bianco

Authors
  1. Giovanni Bortoluzzi
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  2. Federico Giglio
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  3. Marco Ligi
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  4. Fabrizio Del Bianco
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  5. Valentina Ferrante
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  6. Luca Gasperini
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  7. Mariangela Ravaioli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Federico Giglio .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro, Kotor, Montenegro

    Aleksandar Joksimović

  2. Institute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro, Kotor, Montenegro

    Mirko Djurović

  3. S.Yu. Witte Moscow University, Moscow, Russia

    Aleksander V. Semenov

  4. Engineering Research Production Center for Water Management, Land Reclamation and Ecology “Soyuzvodproject”, Moscow, Russia

    Igor S. Zonn

  5. P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Andrey G. Kostianoy

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Bortoluzzi, G. et al. (2016). Morphobathymetry of Boka Kotorska Bay. In: Joksimović, A., Djurović, M., Semenov, A., Zonn, I., Kostianoy, A. (eds) The Boka Kotorska Bay Environment . The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 54. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2016_29

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