Adriatic Deep Water and Interaction with the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Being a dilution basin, the Adriatic Sea exports a relatively fresh water to the adjacent Ionian Sea. This water obviously must pass through the Strait of Otranto in the surface layer. In addition, the Adriatic loses heat every year, and the resulting buoyancy loss generates a dense water that has to be exported to the Ionian in the bottom layer of the Strait of Otranto. To balance these losses, a compensating flow brings more saline and warmer waters from the Eastern Mediterranean through the surface and intermediate layers. In sum, water exchange through the Strait of Otranto consists in three main components: the outflowing surface Adriatic water, the outflowing Adriatic Deep Water (ADW), and the inflowing more saline and warmer waters of Mediterranean origin.