Tides in the northern Adriatic Sea - the Gulf of Trieste

The effects of tides in the northern Adriatic Sea were examined using the 2 D finite-difference model. The Eulerian residual velocity field of the cali brated model was checked for the mixing efficiency of tides in the northern Adriatic Sea. It is shown through the simulation of tides for the period o f one half year that tides are too weak to mix the whole water column (at a ny time within this period), even in front of the promontories (e.g. the Po river outlet). The model resolution (556 m) allowed analysis of the tidal dynamics in smaller regions. In the Gulf of Trieste the model results are i n satisfactory agreement with the current-meter observations for winter 198 4-85 and spring 1985. It is shown that in the middle of the entrance to the gulf the sense of rotation of the tidal ellipse vector changes hom a clock wise rotation at the southern part of the entrance to an anticlockwise rota tion at the northern part of entrance. Tidal currents in the interior of th e gulf rotate counterclockwise, while in small bays, and in front of them, the rotation is clockwise.