HR: 08:45h
AN: OS51A-04    [PDF]
TI: On the Hydrological Routing of Water and Sediment into the Northern Adriatic
AU: * Syvitski, J P
EM: syvitski@colorado.edu
AF: INSTAAR/CU, 1560 30th St, Boulder, CO 80309-0450 United States
AB: The research focuses on long-term and short-term climate changes, and the perturbations from humans, which influence the Po and representative rivers along the Apennines. The modern Po is partly influenced by arge Alpine Lakes/reservoirs that condition the timing of source water release and the trapping of sediment. Runoff from the southern and western Alps flows more naturally to the Po valley. The 15 M inhabitants of the Po valley intersect this flow, and along with strong agricultural use and an extensive canal system, regulate the flow. Even the dispersal through the Po delta distributary system is regulated. As a result the flux of sediment into the coast is predicted to be 50% less that under pristine conditions. The Apennine Rivers are regulated to maintain stream flow during the dry season. The otherwise high inter annual variability is presently mitigated and flood discharges to the Adriatic are a rare occurrence. As a result sediment flux to the coastal zone has been reduced by at least 40%. This agrees with dated marine cores from the northern Adriatic that show a change in both sediment dispersal and sediment supply across the last 50 years. The Apennine Rivers that once went hyperpycnal every couple of years would seldom (once ever 100 years) go hyperpycnal in their dynamics. Intra annual variability is very high for the Po and Apennine rivers despite the regulation and this is brought on by the strong frontal dynamics that control precipitation in this part of southern European continent.
DE: 1815 Erosion and sedimentation
DE: 1821 Floods
DE: 3020 Littoral processes
DE: 4215 Climate and interannual variability (3309)
DE: 4227 Diurnal, seasonal, and annual cycles
SC: Ocean Sciences [OS]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting