Diurnal internal tides detected in the Adriatic

Strong diurnal oscillations, documented by temperature data that were collected along a submarine cliff on the Lastovo Island (southern Adriatic), are studied and compared with sea level and wind measurements at Dubrovnik and Komiža (island of Vis). Three thermistors were deployed at the depths of 15, 22 and 36 m between March 2001 and March 2002. Pronounced diurnal temperature oscillations were detected at 15 and 22 m during the stratified season. The correlation between the sea surface and thermocline displacements was highest in June 2001, when diurnal wind changes were not significant, while diurnal sea level oscillations achieved annual maxima. Thermocline oscillations were in phase with sea level changes. The range of diurnal sea surface variability was close to 19 cm, while the range of corresponding thermocline variability was about 5.4 m. The findings summarize the outcome of the first dedicated study of internal tides in the Adriatic.