Geochemistry and particle size of surface sediments of Gulf of Manfredonia (Southern Adriatic sea)

In this study we describe mechanisms influencing the spatial distribution of the surface sediments in the Gulf of Manfredonia. Seventy-three samples were collected on a regional grid and analyzed for grainsize, major and trace elements and organic matter content. Sediments contain marine-derived carbonate as well as terrigenous fractions indicating highly heterogeneous sediment composition dictated by different provenance and complex transport processes. Principal Component Analysis provides information about processes involved in the formation and dispersal of the sediments. The regional sediment distribution is function of the Gulf’s morphology and sedimentary inputs from fluvial sources, mainly from the Ofanto River, and from the North and Central Adriatic basin. Biogenic carbonate reefs, identified in two restricted coastal areas add complexity to sediment shelf dispersal. The North-Adriatic current flowing southward transports and deposits sediments from the Northern basin in the offshore area of the Gulf while an inner anticyclonic current distributes and mixes northern and fluvial sediment with a clockwise pattern. In order to better assess the fluvial contribution also bedload samples from the main river debouching into the Gulf were sampled, enabling the identification of geochemical indexes to distinguish the role of both fluvial inputs and hydrodynamic processes affecting solid particles dispersion within the Gulf. This study provides a contribution to a qualitative estimate of the sediment supply entailed in the Southwestern Adriatic basin.