The Lagoon of Venice: geological setting, evolution and land subsidence

Brambati, A.; Carbognin, Laura; Quaia, Tullio; Teatini, Pietro; Tosi, Luigi

doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2003/v26i3/020

Cited by 105 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The increase of flood intensity and frequency observed in Venice in the second half of the 20th century has been caused by anthropogenic land settlement during the 1950s and 1960s as a result of groundwater withdrawals mainly for industrial use in the nearby mainland [ Gambolati et al , 1974; Carbognin et al , 1977] superimposed on the natural subsidence of the coastal area [ Brambati et al , 2003] and the sea level rise due to global climate change [ Carbognin and Taroni , 1996]. These factors have caused an overall relative loss in elevation of 23 cm over the last 100 years [ Carbognin et al , 2004].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing short‐ and long‐time displacements in the Venice coastland by synthetic aperture radar interferometric point target analysis

et al. 2007

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[1] The Venice Lagoon in Italy is a unique environment vulnerable to loss in surface elevation relative to the mean sea level. We present detailed synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometric analyses on persistent point targets for the historical center of Venice, the tourist area of Sottomarina, and the Zennare farmland close to the southern lagoon edge. The selected areas are characterized by different degrees of development and our analyses show the remarkable capability of SAR Interferometric Point Target Analysis (IPTA) to map land displacement rates in densely urbanized zones and to detect movement information on isolated structures with a mm/year accuracy. A detailed analysis of the time series from 1992 to 2000 provided by IPTA shows that the vertical component of the measured displacements are the superposition of a short timescale, generally seasonal, movement on the order of 1 cm that is likely related to the fluctuation of environmental variables (temperature, piezometric head in the aquifer system underlying the lagoon, sea/lagoon water level) and a long-term ground deformation associated with building construction, the geomorphology of the area, and the human development of natural resources. If Venice is confirmed to be generally stable, significant long-term subsidence on the order of 4 mm/year is detected at the Sottomarina coastland. The highest displacement rates, of up to 8-10 mm/year, are recorded in the farmland bounding the lagoon margin where the movements are found to be highly site-specific.Citation: Teatini, P., T. Strozzi, L. Tosi, U. Wegmüller, C. Werner, and L. Carbognin (2007), Assessing short-and long-time displacements in the Venice coastland by synthetic aperture radar interferometric point target analysis,

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing short‐ and long‐time displacements in the Venice coastland by synthetic aperture radar interferometric point target analysis

et al. 2007

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“…The average relative elevation loss of the city can be estimated at 23 cm over the last century, with sea level rise and land settlement contributing 11 and 12 cm, respectively [ Carbognin et al , 2004]. Recent monitoring surveys indicate that today, Venice is almost stable, being subject to natural land subsidence only (on the order of 0.5–0.7 mm yr −1 ) [ Gambolati and Teatini , 1998; Tosi et al , 2002; Brambati et al , 2003]. Tide measurements performed in the northern Adriatic point to a mean sea level rise of 1.5 mm yr −1 over the last 30 years [ Carbognin et al , 2004].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Saving Venice by seawater

et al. 2004

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[1] The frequency of flooding in Venice has drastically increased over the last 50 years as a major consequence of natural and anthropogenic land subsidence, mean sea level rise, and a more active lagoon hydrodynamics induced partly by deepening of the largest navigation channels. Subsurface fluid injection is a well-established technology that is currently used either to enhance oil recovery from oil fields or to reduce land settlement due to hydrocarbon production. To help mitigate the inundation events in Venice, a numerical study of seawater injection into a 600-800 m deep geologic formation is performed with the aid of advanced numerical fluid dynamic and geomechanical models. A number of parametric scenarios are addressed, consistent with the basic geological configuration derived from the lithostratigraphy of nearby areas in the northern Adriatic basin. Preliminary quite encouraging results show that a set of 12 vertical injection wells, strategically located within the lagoon, may raise Venice from 11 to up to 40 cm over a 10 year period, thus offsetting or mitigating the vast majority of the high tides that occasionally plague the city. Further ad hoc geological and geophysical investigations of the lagoon subsurface are required before the present prefeasibility study can be turned into a design project of anthropogenic Venice uplift.

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“…The question is: what means “general/substantial stability” for the historical center of Venice? Surely, it does not correspond to null displacements as geological subsidence has always driven the evolution of this region [ Brambati et al , 2003]. Indeed, we have always associated this concept to the detection of a significant number of leveling benchmarks (in the past) or PS (more recently) distributed in the whole city characterized by sinking rates comparable with the long‐term regional geological subsidence estimated, for example, in 0.5–1.0 mm/yr by Carminati et al [2003].…”

Section: Is Venice “Subsiding” or “Substantially “Stable”mentioning

confidence: 99%