Fine-sediment mass balance in the western Adriatic continental shelf over a century time scale

In the western Adriatic, mass accumulation rates range between 0.04 and 6.6 g cm− 2 yr− 1. Peak values were recorded in the Po and Isonzo prodeltas and along a narrow belt between Pescara and the Gargano promontory. Furthermore, the latter depocentre is located immediately seaward of the offlap break (40-50 m water depth) and parallels that of the most recent sigmoid of the HST. The integration of mass accumulation rates throughout the mud wedge of the north and central Adriatic gave a value of ∼42.0 Tg yr− 1 of sediment accumulating along the Italian coast. The balance between sediment accumulation and riverine sediment supply (∼46.6 Tg yr− 1) suggests an export of 4.6 Tg yr− 1 to the south Adriatic basin and/or the Mediterranean Sea. The along-shore sediment transport is very effective and, in particular, 16.2 Tg yr− 1 of sedimentary material (∼35% of the riverine supply) is transferred from north to central Adriatic, through the Ancona section.