Sea Levels Rising in Venice, Italy

Annual floods in Venice have scientists concerned that the island will be underwater in years to come

Map of Italy

Quick Information on Venice:

Population: 637,000

Venice is located on more than 100 small lagoons in the Adriatic Sea

Venice is built on stakes, wooden platforms, and stone

No roads or cars, just canals

Venice is a major Seaport, exports and imports lots of material

Venice is a big stop for many cruise lines, which brings lots of tourists

Venice, Italy

Why is Venice flooding? | ABC News

Sea Level Rising in Venice: Between 1900-2016, the sea level rose by 16-21 cm on average. Sea level rise is the phenomenon through which the ocean water volume increases. Greenhouse gases are a major contributor to sea level rise. Venice, Italy has had massive annual floods for the last 90 years and scientists have a reasonable explanation and a possible solution. Scientists say rising sea levels, high tides, and strong winds are causing the floods in Venice. The winds are blowing north-east across the Adriatic Sea towards Venice. Acqua Alta is "high waters" in Italian and all citizens are familiar with this term. September through April is the season for flooding in Venice. Climate change has caused Venice to sink about 1 mm a year. The natural flow of the water in and out of Venice has been restricted due to construction of ports.

This map shows the direction of the Sirocco Winds that blow across Adriatic Sea to Venice

History of flooding:

This map shows the high tides that occur throughout the years in Venice, Italy.

Current solution: A mobile barrier system is Venice's new solution. This idea was brought up in 2003 and there has been corruptions, cost overruns, and oppositions from conservation and environmental groups. (Povoledo) The Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico (MOSE) is this barrier will be made up of 78 separate gates that can be raised and protect the city from high tides of up to 4.2 feet. (Bhardwaj) Venice successfully stopped a flood for the first time by raising a mile-long network of barriers to hold back the sea. On October 3rd, 2020, the MOSE successfully worked, so the project is now expected to be completed at the end of 2021 or maybe 2022. The most recent cost for this project is 5.5 billion Euros. As for corruption, "In 2014, authorities arrested mayor Giorgio Orsoni and more than 30 others in a political corruption case linked to the Mose. Orsoni was charged of misusing public funds from the project." (Decades) This shows that lots of money was stolen from this projected which added to the years that it took to build. Critics of MOSE worry that rising sea levels will mean the barriers will have to stay up permanently, cutting off access for ships and turning the Venice lagoon into a breeding ground for algae.(Decades) So this shows the opposing side of the barriers and why some believe it is a bad project for the long run.

This photo explains how the MOSE barrier works

Works Cited

A history of flooding in the sinking city of Venice – in pictures. (2015, June 16). Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2015/jun/16/history-flooding-sinking-city-venice-in-pictures

Bhardwaj, N. (2020, October 06). Venice successfully stopped a flood for the first time by raising a mile-long network of barriers to hold back the sea. Retrieved November 01, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/venice-mose-barrier-network-stops-flood-for-first-time-2020-10

Chico Harlan, S. (2019, November 19). How Venice's plan to protect itself from flooding became a disaster in itself. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/how-venices-plan-to-protect-itself-from-flooding-became-a-disaster-in-itself/2019/11/19/7e1fe494-09a8-11ea-8054-289aef6e38a3_story.html

Decades in the making, Venice's controversial new sea defence system works – for now. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2020, from https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/decades-making-venices-controversial-new-sea-defen/

Dvanboom. (n.d.). Venice's desperate 50-year battle against floods. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.cnet.com/features/venices-desperate-50-year-fight-against-floods/

Khetani, S. (2012, April 18). This $7 Billion System Might Be The Last Chance To Stop Venice From Sinking Into The Sea. Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/venice-sinking-mose-system-italy-2012-4

Povoledo, E. (2020, October 03). Floodgates in Venice Work in First Major Test. Retrieved November 01, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/03/world/europe/venice-floodgates-flooding.html

Redmer, S. (2020, March 02). Is Venice, Italy, Really Sinking? Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/is-venice-italy-really-sinking.html

Map of Italy

This map shows the high tides that occur throughout the years in Venice, Italy.

This photo explains how the MOSE barrier works