Some preliminary observations of river plume dynamics in a microtidal coastal setting

Fluvial discharges transport suspended and dissolved constituents that mix into the nearshore waters. Thus, understanding of the structure, dynamics and evolution of river plumes is fundamental to comprehend the land-ocean exchanges. The current study focuses on the plume generated from the Misa river (Senigallia, Italy). Despite its small extension, the Misa river discharges large quantities of sediment to sea. We investigated the mechanisms responsible for the formation of the plume using two different video-monitoring stations that provide hourly images: the Sena Gallica Speculator (SGS), located in the Senigallia harbor, and the video system of the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA),located about 1.8 km to the south. The first dataset allowed to observe the plume flowing out from the estuary and to track its front, while the second dataset permitted to observe the extension of the plume to the southeasterly direction (Figure 2). Details of the analysis and results will be illustrated at the conference.