The seafloor geomorphology of Boka Kotorska Bay

One of the most intriguing feature along the entire Adriatic coast is the bay of Boka Kotorska, where the sea enters inland for over 20 km. The Bay is located along the Montenegro margin and is part of a ria coastal system surrounded by high mountains that are part of the Dinaric range. The Bay is composed by three major basins, connected by two narrow straits with a maximum depth of 67 m. Despite its historical and geostrategic role the morphology and geology of the Bay is poorly known. New high resolution multibeam and seismic reflection data reveal unknown details of present-day morphologies and sedimentary infilling geometries. Several processes are involved in shaping the bay and its seafloor. Our results show that the observed morphologies are due to the interaction at different timescales of climate, water circulation, sealevel changes, erosion, sedimentation and tectonics constrained by the geological and structural setting of the area.