Venice, Italy is filled with numerous types of
weathering. With natural causes
such as flooding and sea level change in combination with anthropological
causes such as deep-well extraction and buildings on unstable soil, Venice is
loosing around 25 cm in height relative to sea level each year.
Customers stand in a pastry shop during a flood in Venice, Italy
December 1, 2008
Here is shown a before and after picture of a beach located in Venice. As you can
see, the sea level is rising in this particular region causing the shoreline to reach
further inland.
In
the 1930’s all through the 1970’s, humans accelerated deep-well drilling for
water and extracted too much water too fast. Excessive pumping of ground water can result a large cone of
depression and end in what is called a drawdown which is where the amount of
water going out far exceeds the amount of water coming back in. Floods as well as depletion in surface
water disrupting the ecosystems are direct results in this occurring. Since groundwater pumping ceased, it has
helped restore some of the geographical features of Venice such as the ground
level rising. Although there have been changes made, there still remains the
fact that Venice is still at the center of some mass weathering. With the loss of this land, it makes
Venice vulnerable to flooding.
When storms hit Venice, water piles up in the lagoon that back up to the
Adriatic Sea. Within the last
fifty years, floods occurring here have been more intense and more frequent
than ever.
Another
factor that yet plays a role in the erosion of the shoreline of Venice is the
very soil that Venice is built upon.
Clay is the main type of soil that naturally occurs in the geographical
area of Venice. Clay, although can
be very impermeable, is not a match to the heavy man-made structures that make
up Venice. This results not only
in the erosion of the natural environment of Venice due to the impermeable
surface resulting in water run-off, but also the beautiful Venetian palaces
that so many travel from afar to admire.
It’s up to us to help restore this beautiful place from any further
destruction!
