An investigation of particle dispersion in a tidally driven turbulent flow

The Gulf of Trieste, subset of our investigation, is a shallow water inlet with a mean depth of 17 m (maximum 25 m) and an area of about 20 km à- 25 km. It is located in the north area of the Adriatic Sea. The dynamics of the Gulf is characterized by seasonal variability of temperature and density, and the mixing and dispersion processes are strongly dependent to this context. This variability is due to the combined effects of many factors such as the presence of a strong wind (Bora) whose action is directly related to the water column instability, the input of fresh water from the river Isonzo and the water exchange due to Adriatic sea currents. For all this phenomena an extended quantity of measured data have been collected from more than one hundred years: the interest in the knowledge of these processes is due to the deep impact in the local economy (from fishing to tourism). This allows a correct formulation of the forcing acting in the dispersion problem regarding the Gulf.