How Venice Can Save Itself From Massive Flooding

Flooding in Venice is becoming a major problem. Just last month, flooding in Venice reached near record levels, causing great concern among the local population. This has caused many to worry that the increasingly frequent floods are driving the city and its population elsewhere in search of safer places to live their lives and run their businesses. It should be noted that the population of Venice has been falling for decades now, and with only 53,000 people living in the historic center portion of the city, it is not getting any better. In the last year alone, the population has declined by a total of 803 people. While the city's residents are generally used to a bit of seasonal flooding, they were not prepared for the recent floods, which covered more than 80% of the city in water. Although Venice has always struggled with flooding, official records show that it is getting worse and more frequent over time. So much so that now Venice even has its own flood warning system, similar to how a tornado siren might work in the state of Oklahoma. What many call the centerpiece of Venice, St. Mark's Square, now regularly floods more than 60 times per year, which is up from four times a year in the year 1900. Some experts even believe that Venice may be gone entirely by the year 2100 if nothing is done. Generally speaking, the tide levels affecting Venice are dependent on three contributing factors. Number one, an astronomical component, number two, a geophysical component, and number three, a meteorological component. Beginning with the astronomical component, this is the rising of the tide that results from the gravitational pull of other celestial bodies in relation to Earth. Primarily, this is caused by the moon, but can also be performed by the sun and other planets to a small degree. Next, the geophysical component, which is primarily dependent on the shape of the Venetian Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea. The Adriatic Sea has a long and narrow rectangular shape that is the source of a regular tidal oscillation known as a seiche. This oscillation, which has a very predictable period, only compounds the effects of astronomical events that increase the tide near Venice. Finally, the meteorological component is linked to variables like the direction and strength of the wind. As strong winds blow in from the Adriatic Sea towards the Venetian Lagoon, more and more water is pushed towards the lagoon, thus increasing the tidal height even more. This, like the previous component when combined, creates the massive flooding that occurs in Venice. Of course, this is not helped due to the fact that the city itself is actually slowly sinking, along with a general rise of sea levels across the world. Archaeological digs have determined that Venice has been sinking at a rate of about 10 centimeters per century since its founding, but within the last 100 years it has sunk a total of 20 centimeters. This is primarily due to the effects from groundwater pumping as well as a general compaction of centuries-old buildings. One way in which Venice was able to combat issues like this in the past was to simply build the city higher. As an example, many of the Venice Palazzos, which are built in the 15th century, are built upon 13th century Palazzos beneath them, and beneath that, who knows, perhaps an 11th century Palazzo. Centuries ago, Venetians were not sentimental about the past and did not worry about preserving old buildings. Of course, this cannot be done today as there are many cultural constraints and we certainly do not want to lose the beautiful renaissance architecture that the current city offers. Although all of these factors create great challenges for the city, managing the effects of the lagoons is not something new to Venetians. Various engineering methods have been used since as early as the 12th century to deal with the effects of high tides. Interventions over the years have included the diversion of six major rivers away from the lagoon in order to prevent its waterways from filling the lagoon with additional silt and water. Work was also performed in the past to rebuild and extend barrier islands while reducing the inlets between the lagoon and the Adriatic Sea from nine to just the three that are there today. One contributing factor to the increase in flooding within the last half century is the poor way in which the lagoon has been managed recently. One example is the large channel that was dredged in the 1960s to allow oil tankers to reach a deep water port on the mainland near Venice. New shipping channels like this one have changed the tidal dynamics of the lagoon, allowing storm surges from the Adriatic Sea to penetrate deeper and faster into the city than ever before. A major way that Venice is planning to ward off rising floodwaters is the implementation of the Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico or MOSE system. MOSE is part of a general plan that Venice has to protect Venice and the lagoon from increased flooding. This system in particular is composed of a series of highly engineered barriers designed to rise up and create temporary walls to protect the city from rising storm surges at each of the three inlets to the Venetian Lagoon. The project began in 1987 by order of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Venice Water Authority. Construction began on the project in 2003 and by 2013, more than 85 percent of the project had been completed. However, after multiple delays and cost overruns, the system is now expected to cost nearly 5.5 billion dollars, up from the projected 1.3 billion dollars when it first started, and it also will not be completed until at least 2022. The objectives of the MOSE system are simple. Protect the lagoon, its towns, villages, and inhabitants along with its iconic historic, artistic, and environmental heritage from flooding. The MOSE system is a relatively simple system in terms of operations. It consists of many rows of mobile gates at each of the three inlets to the Under normal tidal conditions, the gates will be full of water and rest at the bottom of the sea. When a high tide is forecast and water needs to be held back from the lagoon, compressed air will be introduced into the gates, forcing water out and causing the gate to rotate around the axis of the hinge and rise up until they emerge above the water to stop the tide from entering the lagoon. When the tide drops, the gates are then filled with water, releasing the air inside and returning them to the sea floor. MOSE was intended to be a technological marvel and showcase the ability of bright engineers and forward-looking political leaders to save the historic city of Venice. However, many are now considering MOSE a debacle due to the extreme cost overruns and schedule impacts. There has even been a corruption scandal in which 20 million euros in public funds were squandered in bribes and payoffs between the construction company and the then mayor of Venice. Still, there are other environmental impacts to be considered such that the entire ecosystem of the Venetian lagoon is likely to be impacted by the implementation of the MOSE project. With rising sea levels, MOSE may work and be capable of holding back water. However, it may only be able to do so by raising the floodgates so often that it would essentially be a near-permanent wall. This, in turn, would devastate the lagoon's drainage and interchange with the Adriatic Sea as the lagoon would become a stagnant pool for algae and waste. It remains to be seen how well the MOSE system will perform and when the system is fully functional, how the city of Venice will fare. There are other radical ideas to save the city as well, such as one proposal in 2013 by the University of Surrey which suggests that the whole city may be physically raised by deep fracking and silt injection beneath the city. What is clear is that something needs to be done and needs to be done soon to prevent future flooding and preserve the historical city. Let me know in the comments below about what ideas you have to help save this ancient city. I am certainly curious to see what interesting and radical ideas you have to come up with. And as always, thank you so much for watching this video.