Current dikes will not be able to save Venice from submersion according to several experts

Venice, the city of lovers, one of the most visited in the world, could see a significant part of its submerged lagoon by 2100 due to the continuous elevation of the sea level, exacerbated by the collapse of the soil. A study, published Tuesday, March 25, conducted by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Italy (Ingv), highlights the need to strengthen the city protections in the floods in the decades.

The study, published in the scientific journal Remote Sensingcombined geodesic, satellite and topographic data in order to develop precise projections of sea level evolution until 2150. The researchers used advanced technologies such as satellite networks of GNSS stations (Global Navigation Satellite System) and opening radars of opening to estimate with great precision the movements of the soil and the elevation of the sea level in the lagoon from Venice.

A elevation of 3.47 meters by 2150

The projections are worrying: according to the scenarios envisaged, Venice could experience much higher sea levels than today. In 2100, in a scenario of the average sea level of 60 cm, events of extreme tides, such as those observed in 1966 and 2019, could raise the water to three meters.

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In the worst case, the study provides that the sea level could amount to 3.47 meters by 2150, exceeding the height of three meters from the Mose protection system. Designed in the form of a dike, this development at six billion euros aims to protect the city from major floods. But if researchers’ forecasts come true, 226 square kilometers could be overwhelmed, almost two thirds of the lagoon.

Another factor: soil collapse

Climate change is not the only cause of the risk of flooding. The City of Venice also faces a historic phenomenon of soil of the soil, which worsens the vulnerability of the lagoon. This phenomenon, where city soil sinks at a rate of up to 7 millimeters per year, exposes even more the lowest areas of the lagoon to the risk of flooding. “It is necessary that political decision -makers and local authorities update spatial planning plans and risk management plans as quickly as possible”, Alert Marcel Anzidei, first author of the study. “” Only responsible and conscious management will preserve the city, its population and a cultural heritage unique in the world of the consequences of the elevation of the sea level expected in the coming decades ”he concludes.