engleski

Formation, evolution and characteristics of karstic estuaries - the Adriatic example

The coastal area of the eastern Adriatic is characterized by a prevalence of carbonate rocks and well-developed karst. Present freshwater input into the Adriatic is quite large, mostly through coastal and submarine springs (vruljas). However, there are also a number of rivers debouching in the Adriatic along the eastern coast. Most of them have canyon like fluviokarstic valleys that were carved dominantly during Pleistocene and were drowned during post-Last Glacial Maximum sea- level rise. This caused formation of estuaries which were gradually filled to a different extent during Holocene highstand (last 7.500 years). The intraestuarine delta progradation was rather different in those estuaries depending on the quantity of the river-borne material. Human impact on progradation rate in some of the estuaries has been shown.

estuaries, sedimentation, intraestuarine delta, progradation, allogenic river, anthropogenic influence

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