IN MEMORIAM, 95
IN MEMORIAM DR. MIRA ZORE-ARMANDA
Mira Zore-Armanda, retired senior scientist of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split (Croatia), passed away on 8 April, 2012 at the age of 82. She was one of the founders of Adriatic oceanography, as her pioneering work in the basin-wide circulation and long-term variability of thermohaline properties represents the basis of the Adriatic physical oceanography research. She published approximately 150 research papers over her lifetime.
Dr. Zore-Armanda was born in 1930 in Zagreb. In 1952 she began work at the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split (Croatia) right after having received her degree from the University of Zagreb. In 1963 she received a doctorate from the Sorbonne University in Paris. She spent her entire career in Split until her retirement in 1989.
Mira Zore-Armanda was the founder of Adriatic descriptive physical oceanography; she was the first to compute the basin-wide seasonal geostrophic current field discussing its intra-annual variability. These calculations were based on the 1911-1914 Najade-Cyclope (Austro-Italian) oceanographic expeditions. She was the first to estimate the water exchange rate through the Strait of Otranto between the Adriatic and Ionian. Mira Zore was always fascinated by long-term climatic variability and its possible causes. At the time when telecon-nections were rarely considered, she tried to relate in-terannual salinity variations in the Adriatic to the extent of the Arctic area covered by ice and the meridional pressure gradient in the Mediterranean.
Having worked in an institution with strong biological and fisheries research, she was always enthusiastic about multidisciplinary research and was involved along with her colleagues in a number of multidisciplinary projects addressing Adriatic biogeochemistry. She also acted as the editor of the Institute's journal, Acta Adriatica, and continued to play this role after having retired. Thanks to her efforts Acta Adriatica became an international ISI publication.
Although born and raised in continental Croatia, she was always attracted to the sea. Whenever possible, she actively participated in oceanographic campaigns in the Adriatic. As a leading scientist of experimental studies in the Adriatic within the framework of the International Geophysical Year, Mira Zore-Armanda took a very active part in oceanographic expeditions.
She served for two mandates as the Vice-President of the Committee of Physical Oceanography of the CIESM - The Mediterranean Science Commission.
Zore-Armanda was always heavily involved in interactions with young colleagues and students, inspiring them with her great enthusiasm and love for the sea, always giving them full freedom in deciding what to do and how to approach their research.
After she retired, I often visited her in the beautiful home in Opatija, where she spent her last years, enjo-
ying discussions with her not only on oceanography but also on various other aspects of life. It was always a great pleasure to talk to her and be in her company because Dr. Zore-Armanda was not only a great scientist, but a very rare and remarkable person as well. I feel very grateful to have known her and worked with her.
Miroslav Gacic
Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale - OGS Sgonico (Trieste), Italy
Dr. Mira Zore-Armanda