La qualità delle acque portuali. Il caso del porto vecchio di Bari (The water quality within ports. Case study: the old port of Bari)

The Italian port system constitutes one of the pillars on which the economic, tourist and social development of our country is based, a peninsula with a vast availability of coastal areas. The study of the water circulation in these enclosed or semi‐enclosed systems, where the accumulation of pollutants is possible and probable, it is crucial, with the final aim of implementing effective environmental management practices within and around harbors. The numerical simulation of hydrodynamic fields through circulation models constitutes a powerful means of evaluating the qualitative evolution and the state of environmental risk of port areas. This study focuses on employing a 3D numerical model by DHI to analyze hydrodynamic circulation and assess water quality within the old port of Bari, southern Italy. The outcomes derived from all the simulations conducted validate the existence of high‐risk zones characterized by the accumulation of pollutants discharged accidentally. These areas are primarily situated in the innermost sections of the port, where velocities are at their lowest.