Lowering rates of limestone along the Western Istrian shoreline and the Gulf of Trieste

Abstract

This paper discusses the data on the lowering of carbonate surfaces that have been taken from a series of measurement sites located along the shoreline of the Gulf of Trieste and of Western Istria, paying particular attention to the phenomena occurring in the intertidal zone. These lowering rates have also been compared with those of limestone outcropping in the Classical Karst area. The mean lowering rate of limestones along the North Eastern Upper Adriatic Sea is approximately 0.13 mm/yr, with significant changes depending on the site: in Trieste, the mean annual rate is 0.40 mm/yr; in the sites located along the Istrian shoreline, the mean annual rate is 0.09 mm/yr.