Geochemistry and grain size of surface sediments of the Gulf of Manfredonia (Southern Adriatic Sea)

Grain size and biogeochemistry of surface sediments of the Gulf of Manfredonia (Southern Adriatic Sea) were analyzed to define sources and transport and depositional processes active in the gulf. This gulf is characterized by shallow depths and limited circulation and is considered a complex area, where anthropogenic pressure plays an important role for pollution and alteration of the marine ecosystem. Variations in element concentrations and grain size composition appears related to different sediment types reflecting the hydrodynamic of the gulf and the mixing between sediments supplied by Ofanto River and the North Western Adriatic current inputs.