Fortnightly oscillations observed in the Adriatic Sea

• Published in: Ocean dynamics Vol. 60; no. 1; pp. 57 - 63
• Main Authors: Vilibic, Ivica, Sepic, Jadranka, Dadic, Vlado, Mihanovic, Hrvoje
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01-02-2010; Springer-Verlag; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Atmospheric forcing; Atmospheric Sciences; Data collection; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Flow velocity; Fluid- and Aerodynamics; Geophysics/Geodesy; Harmonic analysis; Marine; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Oceanography; Sea level; Studies; Tides; MED, Adriatic Sea; Amplification; Fortnightly tides; Currents; Sea level; Adriatic Sea
• ISSN: 1616-7341; 1616-7228
• DOI: 10.1007/s10236-009-0241-2

This paper documents the occurrence of strong fortnightly oscillations in the Adriatic Sea frequently observed in the current measurements. For that purpose, we analyzed half-decadal sea level series and long-term currents collected within different parts and layers of the Adriatic Sea. Harmonic analysis and band-pass filter with cutoff periods at 10 and 20 days have been applied to the series. The sea level Mf tide is found to be the only significant tidal constituent over periods between the diurnal and semi-annual ones, having no significant phase variations in the Adriatic Sea. Moreover, the currents on periods between 10 and 20 days could only partially be explained by atmospheric forcing. The fact that they are in-phase with the Mf tide gives a hint on a possible mechanism responsible for the generation of these oscillations. Additionally, these currents are usually strongly amplified during a weakly stratified season, indicating a baroclinic mechanism responsible for the multiplication of the fortnightly currents.