THE MONITORING OF THE ADRIATIC COASTAL WATERS ALONG THE SALENTO PENNINSULA, 1995-96 - PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS AND NUTRIENT SALTS

Results are presented relative to the first year (April 1995 - March 1 996) of the PRISMA 1 (MURST-CNR) monitoring of the Adriatic coast of t he Salento peninsula. The temperatures and salinities measured along f our transects (S.Maria di Leuca, Otranto, S.Cataldo, Brindisi) at four different depths were typical of this zone, with winter minima at sim ilar to 10 degrees C (Feb.96) and summer maxima at similar to 26 degre es C (Aug.95). Salinity variations (36.7-38.7) were clearly influenced by the water coming from the central Adriatic, flowing southward alon g the coast. Nutrient concentrations were generally low. The monthly m ean of P-PO4 was less than 0.1 mu M. N-NO2 value varied between 0,01 a nd 0.7 mu M. N-NO3 revealed highly variable concentrations with respec t to time, station and depth with a minimum of 0.5 and maximum of 7 mu M. Apart from the concentrations of nitrate in the surface waters, wh ich were high for the Mediterranean, the general scarcity of nutrients , particulary of P-PO4, indicate that this stretch of Puglia coast is not under any present threat of eutrophication and its negative effect s, such as what occurred along the north Adriatic coast.