The Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries was one of the partners in the CAAT (Coastal Autopurification Assessment Technology) project.
The CAAT project aimed to combine basic research in the field of atmospheric and oceanographic modeling with the processes of flow and transport of pollution by surface and subsurface runoff into the coastal waters of the Adriatic Sea to quantify the actual pollution of said waters and the potential self-purification capabilities of these waters.
This project developed innovative solutions for predicting the impact of pollution on coastal waters, focusing on the area of Kaštela Bay and the channels of Brač and Split.
Within the aforementioned project, the Institute was involved in several activities that focused in particular on the collection, organization, and analysis of data necessary for the adaptation and evaluation of available atmospheric and oceanographic models, the evaluation of the existing operational atmospheric-oceanographic model adapted for application in the areas of Kaštela Bay and the Brač and Split channels, and the implementation of existing and new sensors for measuring the dynamics and quality of the sea. Among other things, the IOR acquired a sophisticated device for measuring the radial component of surface currents, which covers a large part of the sea surface of the Brač Channel and part of Kaštela Bay.
The methodology developed within the CAAT project will provide guidelines for appropriate and holistic management of coastal areas in the context of ensuring optimal marine quality status in connection with the associated economic and social opportunities. A significant improvement in the system for measuring surface currents would be achieved by installing another device on the northeastern side of the island of Šolta or the northwestern part of the island of Brač, which would enable the determination of the absolute vectors of surface currents in the western part of the Brač Channel, and the measurements of surface currents are the basis for validating numerical models and determining the spread of pollution.
The final conference of the project took place on November 28, 2023 in the amphitheater of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy in Split. The project was co-financed by the Ministry of Science and Education from the European Regional Development Fund and took place between December 2019 and November 2023.
