Resumen de Analysis and modelling of contourite drifts and currents off promontories in Southern Italian Seas (Mediterranean Sea)

Federico Falcini, Eleonora Martorelli, Ettore Salusti, F.L. Chiocci

• We here analyze recent partial observations of contourite drifts, located at intermediate depths off promontories in Southern Tyrrhenian and in Southern Adriatic Sea. These contourite drifts are located slightly upstream the cape tip, except for the Gargano, where contourite drifts can be observed both upstream and downstream, in the lee wave region. We therefore investigate the relationship between bottom contour currentand drift deposits analyzing tank and numerical simulations with particular attention on turbulent phenomena occurrence. All this allows prediction for localizing sediment drifts around capes. We found that the occurrence of turbulence, and thus of erosive conditions, can be detected by using quantifying dimensionless numbers related to cape dimension and ocean current features. This work can be seen as an attempt to bridge the gap between marine sedimentological studies and physical oceanography.