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https://theconversation.com/venice-is-sinking-we-analysed-every-plan-to-save-it-and-none-would-preserve-the-city-as-we-know-it-280891>
"Venice has co-existed with the sea throughout its 1,500-year history, perhaps
better than any other city on earth. Yet over the past century it has flooded
increasingly often, as the sea rises and the city itself sinks under its own
weight.
We recently published an academic analysis of the various options Venice has to
ensure its long-term survival.
Our study compares a range of possible strategies against different degrees of
sea-level rise. These include maintaining the current system of mobile
barriers, building ring dykes to separate the city from the lagoon in which it
sits, enclosing the whole lagoon within a much larger defence system, or – in
the most extreme case – relocating much of the city and its population inland.
Each option becomes relevant at different points as sea levels rise. The city’s
flood defences have already been upgraded substantially, at a cost of €6
billion (£5.2 billion). This involves a series of huge steel gates attached to
the seafloor, known as the Mose barriers. When raised, these barriers
effectively seal off the Venetian Lagoon from the wider Mediterranean Sea.
The Mose barriers mean the flood risks are currently manageable, but the
frequency of their use is rising. In the first five years of use (between 2020
and 2025) the system was closed for 108 high waters, while in the first two
months of 2026 it was activated 30 times. And as sea levels continue to climb,
it would need to be closed more and more often – potentially for weeks at a
time each year.
This creates a series of problems. Frequent closures would disrupt shipping and
tourism, alter the lagoon’s ecology, and would require major new systems for
sewage treatment and huge pumps to maintain lagoon water levels. A system
designed for occasional protection risks becoming a semi-permanent barrier –
something it was never intended to be."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
