Mucilage Monitoring Program in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Oceanographic Parameters)

A research program MAT, supported by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Protection of the Territory, has been devoted to monitor for four years the environmental conditions of the northern Adriatic Sea, with the main aim to study the mucilage phenomenon. These phenomena increased since the late eighties. Meteorological conditions, circulation patterns and water column stratification can affect the development and spreading of mucilage. Starting from June 1999, a monthly monitoring along three transects located in the northern Adriatic was carried out for three years. CTD casts were performed from the Italian to the Croatian coast, with water column sampling for a subset of stations. Some unusual oceanographic situations, heating of the sea surface in May-June and domination of eastwards transport of freshened waters formed in the Po Delta area, were observed during the investigated period in the years with more intense mucilage events (2000 and 2002).