137Cs Sediment Profiles as a Tracer of Marine Sedimentation Processes in a Semi-Enclosed Bay Affected by Anthropogenic Releases-Example of Kastela Bay (Adriatic Sea, Croatia)

Kastela Bay was taken as a model to study sedimentation processes using the vertical sediment profiles of Cs-137 massic activities. The aim was to distinguish the sedimentation conditions in different parts of the Bay and to partly determine the pathways of terrigenous input into the Bay. The purpose was to demonstrate that Cs-137 profiles are applicable in differentiating sedimentation processes. It was found that mostly continuous, undisturbed sedimentation takes place in the central and south parts of the Bay; the sedimentation conditions in the west part of the Bay are more complicated. The west part is characterised by the extremely slow sedimentation of the coarse-grained sediment or even by erosion and selective resuspension of the fine-grained particles followed by resedimentation in other parts of the Bay. It was also observed that the upper 10 cm of the sediment is the most exposed to homogenisation. The strong influence of the Jadro River and anthropogenic activities in the east part of the Bay are reflected in the higher Cs-137 activities, strong sediment mixing, and increased sediment input. This study shows that the Cs-137 profiles can provide comprehensive insights for the whole study region when a sophisticated sampling layout is deployed. The results of the study are applicable to other aquatic environments with comparable processes and sedimentary environments.

Automated summary

This study used Cs-137 massic activities in vertical sediment profiles to investigate sedimentation processes in Kastela Bay. The results showed that continuous and undisturbed sedimentation mainly occurs in the central and south parts of the Bay, while the west part has more complicated sedimentation conditions. The influence of the Jadro River and anthropogenic activities in the east part of the Bay were evident. The findings can be applied to other aquatic environments with similar sedimentary processes.