Flooding and Environmental Challenges for Venice and its ...assets.cambridge.org/97805218/40460/frontmatter/9780521840460... · 48 The influence of the inlet configuration on sediment

Time may be running out for Venice. With rising averagewater levels, the frequency of city flooding is increasing andthe threat of a repeat of the November 1966 event, when aviolent storm surge took water levels nearly two metreshigher than usual, remains. Surrounding the city is aseverely degraded lagoon ecosystem. This timely scientificand technical volume synthesises the great wealth anddiversity of recent interdisciplinary research on Venice andits Lagoon and the prospects for large engineering interven-tions to separate the lagoon and sea, as well as other meas-ures in the built environment, discussed at an InternationalConference held at Churchill College, Cambridge inSeptember 2003. The lessons and inferences reported hereshow how Venice, with its mix of challenges to protect itsprestigious cultural heritage within one of the largestcoastal wetlands in the Mediterranean, and against a back-ground of pressures brought about by industry, port activi-ties and tourism, shares many issues with other areasthreatened by coastal flooding, including areas of theNetherlands, the USA and the cities of London and StPetersburg.

Caroline Fletcher is Senior Research Associate, CambridgeCoastal Research Unit, University of Cambridge, Venice inPeril Fellow, Churchill College, Cambridge and PrincipalEnvironmental Scientist, HR Wallingford Ltd. She spe-cialises in sustainable development and the impacts of nat-ural processes and human activities on estuarine andcoastal systems. She has worked in the UK, Europe, USA,the Middle East and the Far East on projects concernedwith aquatic pollution, habitat creation and the beneficialuse of dredged material, sediments and port develop-ments. She represents the Central Dredging Association(CEDA) at international conventions and is a member oftwo Permanent International Association for the NavigationCommunity (PIANC) international working groups on themanagement of dredged material.

Tom Spencer is University Senior Lecturer, Department ofGeography, University of Cambridge, Director, CambridgeCoastal Research Unit and Official Fellow, MagdaleneCollege, Cambridge. His research interests – wetlandhydrodynamics and sedimentation, coral reef geomorphol-ogy, sea level rise and coastal management – have taken himto the Caribbean Sea, the Pacific and Indian Oceans and,closer to home, the coastline of Eastern England. He isauthor (with H. Viles) of Coastal Problems: Geomorphology,Ecology and Society at the Coast and is currently co-editing BigFlood, a collection of papers commemorating the fiftiethanniversary of the 1953 North Sea storm surge.

Flooding and Environmental Challenges for Venice and its Lagoon: State of Knowledge

© Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press0521840465 - Flooding and Environmental Challenges for Venice and its Lagoon: State of KnowledgeEdited by C. A. Fletcher and T. SpencerFrontmatterMore information

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Flooding and Environmental Challenges for Venice and its Lagoon: State of Knowledge

EDITED BY

C. A. FLETCHER AND T. SPENCERCambridge Coastal Research Unit, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge

enice in PerilTHE BRITISH COMMITTEE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF VENICE

V






CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

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Cambridge University PressThe Edinburgh building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK

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© Cambridge University Press 2005

This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.

First published 2005

Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, CambridgeTypeset by Alex Lazarou, Surbiton, Surrey, UK

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Contributors xi

Preface xxiiiA. Somers Cocks, Venice in PerilH. Moore, UNESCO-ROSTE, VeniceP. Richens and Sir John Boyd KCMG, Churchill College, Cambridge

Part I Introduction 1

1 Venice and the Venice Lagoon: creating a forum for international debate 3T. Spencer, J. Da Mosto, C. A. Fletcher and P. Campostrini

2 Between salt and fresh waters 7G. Caniato

Part II Geological and environmental context 15

3 Introduction: geological and environmental context 17T. Spencer, J. Da Mosto and C. A. Fletcher

4 Magnitude and causes of long-term subsidence of the Po Plain and Venetian region 21E. Carminati, C. Doglioni and D. Scrocca

5 The facts of relative sea-level rise in Venice 29R. Frassetto

6 Ocean climate variability in the Mediterranean Sea: climate events and marine forecasting activities 41N. Pinardi, G. Coppini, A. Grezio and P. Oddo

7 Features of scatterometer wind observations in the Adriatic Sea 53S. Zecchetto, F. De Biasio and M. Bajo

8 Extreme storm surges in the Gulf of Venice: present and future climate 59P. Lionello

9 Forecasting the water level in Venice: physical background and perspectives 71A. Tomasin

Flooding and Environmental Challenges for Venice and its Lagoon: State of Knowledge, ed. C. A. Fletcher and T. Spencer.Published by Cambridge University Press, © Cambridge University Press 2005.

Contents






10 Meteo-climatic features of the Venice Lagoon 79A. Barbi, R. Millini, M. Monai and S. Sofia

11 Sea-level forecasting at the Centro Previsioni e Segnalazioni Maree (CPSM) of the Venice Municipality 85P. Canestrelli and L. Zampato

12 APAT duties and techno-scientific activities regarding the Lagoon of Venice 99M. Ferla

13 The third dimension in Venice 107A. J. Ammerman

14 Geoarchaeology in the Lagoon of Venice: palaeoenvironmental changes, ancient sea-level oscillation and geophysical surveys by acoustic techniques 117S. Buogo, E. Canal, G. B. Cannelli, S. Cavazzoni, S. Donnici and A. Lezziero

15 A consistent interpretation of relative sea-level change in Venice 123R. Butterfield

16 The extraction of Venetian sea-level change from paintings by Canaletto and Bellotto 129D. Camuffo, E. Pagan and G. Sturaro

Part III Urban flooding and the urban system 141

17 Introduction: urban flooding and the urban system 143T. Spencer, R. J. S. Spence, J. Da Mosto and C. A. Fletcher

18 Local flood protection measures in Venice 147M. Spinelli and M. Folin

19 Urban maintenance in Venice 159B. Dolcetta

20 Methodologies for the functional restoration of a historic urban system 171I. Turlon

21 St Mark’s Basilica as a case study in flooding issues for historical Venice 175E. Vio

22 Challenging transient flooding effects on dampness in brick masonry in Venice by a new technique: the narthex in St Mark’s Basilica 181F. Sandrolini, E. Franzoni, E. Vio and S. Lonardoni

23 Venice high water protection measures in St Mark’s Square 189M. T. Brotto

24 Research for conservation of the lagoon building culture: catalogue of the external plasterwork in Venetian buildings 193E. Danzi, A. Ferrighi, M. Piana, P. Campostrini, S. De Zorzi and E. Rinaldi

25 Alteration of brickwork exposed to sea tides in Venice 199G. Biscontin, E. Zendri and A. Bakolas

vi Contents






26 Economic valuation of on-site material damages of high water on economic activities based in the city of Venice: results from a dose-response-expert-based valuation approach 205M. Breil, G. Gambarelli and P. A. L. D. Nunes

27 City knowledge as key to understanding the relation between waters and stones in Venice 219F. Carrera

28 UNESCO contribution to a better understanding of the Venice urban system 237A. Mancuso and P. Pypaert

Part IV Large-scale engineering solutions to storm surge flooding 239

29 Introduction: large-scale engineering solutions to storm surge flooding 241T. Spencer, P. M. Guthrie, J. Da Mosto and C. A. Fletcher

30 Engineering interventions in Venice and in the Venice Lagoon 245A. Scotti

31 Venice mobile barriers project: Barrier caissons construction details 257Y. Eprim

32 Venice port activities and the challenges of safeguarding Venice 263A. Razzini

33 Gates strategies and storm surge forecasting system developed for the Venice flood management 267Y. Eprim, M. Di Donato and G. Cecconi

34 Mobile barriers as a management tool for water quality and lagoon flushing 279D. R. F. Harleman

35 The Thames Barrier – now and in the future 287D. Wilkes and S. Lavery

36 Cardiff Bay Barrage – lessons learnt 1990–2003 295P. Hunter

37 The modelling of Cardiff Bay Barrage control system: the revised automatic control logic for the sluice gates 299E. Faganello and S. Dunthorne

38 Operation of the ‘Maeslant Barrier’: (storm surge barrier in the Rotterdam New Waterway) 311R. Bol

39 The Oosterschelde, a changing ecosystem after completion of the delta works 317H. L. F. Saeijs and A. J. M. Geurts van Kessel

40 Integrated water management for support of sustainable development of St Petersburg region 335R. Mikhailenko, A. N. Savin, H. Gerritsen and H. van Pagee

41 Flood protection, environment and public participation – case study: St Petersburg Flood Protection Barrier 341H. Gerritsen, R. Vis, R. Mikhailenko and M. Hiltunen

Contents vii






Part V The Venice Lagoon: physical processes, sediments and morphology 353

42 Introduction: physical processes, sediments and morphology of the Venice Lagoon 355T. Spencer, C. A. Fletcher and J. Da Mosto

43 Sediment balance, morphodynamics and landscape restoration 359G. Di Silvio

44 Open problems in modelling the long term morphodynamic evolution of Venice Lagoon 369G. Seminara, M. Bolla Pittaluga, N. Tambroni and V. Garotta

45 Modelling the morphodynamics of tidal inlets 379N. Tambroni, P. K. Stansby and G. Seminara

46 Application of hydrodynamic and morphological models 391A. Gozzi and G. Menel Lemos

47 An open source model for the Venice Lagoon and other shallow water bodies 401G. Umgiesser, C. L. Amos, E. Coraci, A. Cucco, C. Ferrarin, D. Melaku Canu, I. Scroccaro, C. Solidoro and L. Zampato

48 The influence of the inlet configuration on sediment loss in the Venice Lagoon 419L. D'Alpaos and P. Martini

49 Water fluxes between the Venice Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea 431M. Gacic, V. Kovacevic, I. Mancero Mosquera, A. Mazzoldi and S. Cosoli

50 Venice Lagoon and the Po Delta: system functioning as a basis for sustainable management 445J. W. Day Jr, G. Abrami, J. Rybczyk and W. Mitsch

51 Morphological restoration techniques 461G. Cecconi

52 Functional characteristics of salt marshes (barene) in the Venice Lagoon and environmental restoration scenarios 473L. Bonometto

Part VI The Venice Lagoon: ecological processes and environmental quality 487

53 Introduction: ecological processes and environmental quality 489C. A. Fletcher, J. Da Mosto and T. Spencer

54 Environmental quality issues in the perspective of risk assessment and management in the Venice Lagoon 493A. Marcomini, A. Critto, C. Micheletti and A. Sfriso

55 The monitoring programme in the Venice Lagoon: striving towards a comprehensive knowledge of the lagoon ecosystem 505A. Zirino

viii Contents






56 Institutional monitoring of the Venice Lagoon, its watershed and coastal waters: a continuous updating of their ecological quality 517G. Penna, A. Barbanti, A. G. Bernstein, S. Boato, R. Casarin, G. Ferrari, L. Montobbio, P. Parati, M. G. Piva and M. Vazzoler

57 Modelling water quality and ecological processes in the Venice Lagoon: a review 529C. Solidoro, R. Pastres and D. Melaku Canu

58 Pressures on Mediterranean coastal lagoons as a consequence of human activities 545A. Pérez-Ruzafa and C. Marcos

59 Changes in nutrients and plankton communities in the Venice Lagoon 557F. Acri, F. B. Aubry, A. Berton, F. Bianchi, E. Camatti, A. Comaschi, S. Rabitti and G. Socal

60 Distribution of Zostera noltii, Zostera marina and Cymodocea nodosa in Venice Lagoon 567A. Rismondo, D. Curiel, F. Scarton, D. Mion, A. Pierini and G. Caniglia

61 Breeding birds and vegetation monitoring in recreated salt marshes of the Venice Lagoon 573F. Scarton

62 Pollution in the Venice Lagoon (Italy): loads from the drainage basin 581R. Zonta, F. Collavini, L. Zaggia and A Zuliani

63 Trace metal fluxes in the Venice Lagoon 593G. Capodaglio, W.R.L. Cairns, A. Gambaro, G. Toscano and C. Turetta

64 Sediment contamination assessment of the Venice canal network (Italy) 603R. Zonta, L. Zaggia, F. Collavini, F. Costa and M. Scattolin

65 Water quality in the channels of Venice: results of a recent survey 617C. Dabalà, N. Calace, P. Campostrini, M. Cervelli, F. Collavini, L. Da Ros, A. Libertini, A. Marcomini, C. Nasci, D. Pampanin, B. M. Petronio, M. Pietroletti, G. Pojana, R.Trisolini, L. Zaggia and R. Zonta

66 Fusina integrated project: a global approach to waste water treatment and reuse in the central area of the Venice Lagoon 631R. Casarin, F. Strazzabosco, P. Rossetto and G. Zanovello

Part VII Venice and its Lagoon: synthesis and prospect 641

67 Venice and the Venice Lagoon: communication, uncertainty and decision making in an environmentally complex system 643J. Da Mosto, T. Spencer, C. A. Fletcher and P. Campostrini

68 Venice, an issue of sustainability 649P. Vellinga and R. Lasage

Part VIII Appendices 659

A1 An overview of the main findings of the Third Assessment Report of the IPCC 661V. Ferrara, D. Gaudioso and A. Raudner

Contents ix






A2 Special Laws for Venice 671

A3 Institutional framework and key organizations 673

A4 Committees of the Cambridge Project 2001–2004 679

Index 681

x Contents






Giovanni AbramiUniversità IUAV di VeneziaSanta Croce 19130135 Venice, Italy

Francesco AcriIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Albert J. AmmermanDepartment of ClassicsColgate University13 Oak DriveHamilton NY 13346, USA

Carl L. AmosSouthampton Oceanography CentreUniversity of SouthamptonEmpress DockSouthampton S014 3ZH, UK

Fabrizio Bernardy AubryIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Marco BajoIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Asterios BakolasDepartment of Chemical EngineeringNational Technical University of AthensIroon Polytechniou StZografou Campus157 73 Athens, Greece

Andrea BarbantiThetis S.p.A.Castello 2737/f30122 Venice, Italy

Adriano BarbiAgenzia Regionale per la Prevenzione e protezioneAmbientale del Veneto (ARPAV)Via Marconi 55Teolo35037 Padua, Italy

Alberto Giulio BernsteinConsorzio Venezia NuovaSan Marco 280330124 Venice, Italy

Andrea BertonIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Franco BianchiIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Guido BiscontinDipartimento di Scienze AmbientaliUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

Sandro BoatoAgenzia Regionale per la Prevenzione e protezioneAmbientale del Veneto (ARPAV)Piazzale Stazione 135131 Padua, Italy

Contributors







Rene BolDirectorate-General for Public Works and Water

ManagementPO Box 5563000 AN Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Michele Bolla PittalugaDipartimento di Ingegneria AmbientaleUniversità degli studi di GenovaVia Montallegro 116145 Genoa, Italy

Lorenzo BonomettoOsservatorio naturalistico della laguna e Centro

informativo sulla salvaguardia e la manutenzione urbana

Comune di VeneziaS. Croce 170430135 Venice, Italy

John BoydChurchill CollegeStorey’s WayCambridge CB3 0DS, UK

Margaretha BreilFondazione Eni Enrico MatteiCastello 525230122 Venice, Italy

Maria Teresa BrottoConsorzio Venezia NuovaSan Marco 280330124 Venice, Italy

Silvano BuogoIstituto di Acustica ‘O. M. Corbino’ (IDAC)Consiglio Nazionale delle RicercheTor VergataVia del Fosso del Cavaliere 10000133 Rome, Italy

Roy ButterfieldDepartment of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Southampton3 Furzedown RoadHighfieldSouthampton S017 1PN, UK

Warren R. L. CairnsIstituto per la Dinamica dei Processi AmbientaliConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

Nicoletta CalaceDipartimento di ChimicaUniversità ‘La Sapienza’ di RomaP. le Aldo Moro 500185 Rome, Italy

Elisa CamattiIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Pierpaolo CampostriniCORILAPalazzo FranchettiSan Marco 284730124 Venice, Italy

Dario CamuffoIstituto di Scienze dell’AtmosferaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCorso Stati Uniti 435127 Padua, Italy

Ernesto CanalIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Paolo CanestrelliCentro Previsioni e Segnalazioni MareeComune di VeneziaPalazzo CavalliSan Marco 409030124 Venice, Italy

Giovanni CaniatoArchivio di Stato di VeneziaSan Polo 300230125 Venice, Italy

xii Contributors






Giovanni CanigliaDipartimento di BiologiaUniversità degli studi di PadovaVia Trieste 7530135 Padua, Italy

Giovanni Bosco CannelliIstituto di Acustica ‘O. M. Corbino’ (IDAC)Consiglio Nazionale delle RicercheTor VergataVia del Fosso del Cavaliere 10000133 Rome, Italy

Gabriele CapodaglioDipartimento di Scienze AmbientaliUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

Eugenio CarminatiDipartimento di Scienze della TerraUniversità ‘La Sapienza’ di RomaP. le Aldo Moro 500185 Rome, Italy

Fabio CarreraWorcester Polytechnic Institute / Massachusetts

Institute of Technology100 Institute RoadWorcester MA 01609, USA

Roberto CasarinSegreteria regionale Ambiente e Lavori pubblici

– Regione VenetoCalle PriuliCannaregio 9930121 Venice, Italy

Silvia CavazzoniIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Giovanni CecconiConsorzio Venezia NuovaSan Marco 280330124 Venice, Italy

Massimiliano CervelliIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Flaviano CollaviniIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale dele RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Alessandra ComaschiIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Giovanni CoppiniIstituto Nazionale di Geofisica e VulcanologiaSede di BolognaVia Donato Creti 1240129 Bologna, Italy

Elisa CoraciIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Simone CosoliIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Franco Costa Istituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale dele RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Andrea CrittoDipartimento di Sicenze AmbientaliUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

Contributors xiii






Andrea CuccoIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Daniele CurielSELC scarlVia dell’Elettricità 5/d30174 Marghera-Venice, Italy

Luigi D’AlpaosDipartimento di Ingegneria IdraulicaMarittima, Ambientale e GeotecnicaUniversità degli Studi di PadovaVia Loredan 2035131 Padua, Italy

Jane Da MostoCORILAPalazzo FranchettiSan Marco 284730124 Venice, Italy

Luisa Da RosIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Caterina DabalàCORILAPalazzo FranchettiSan Marco 284730124 Venice, Italy

Edoardo DanziDipartimento di Storia dell’ArchitetturaUniversità IUAV di VeneziaSan Polo 246830125 Venice, Italy

John.W Day JrDepartment of Oceanography and Coastal SciencesSchool of the Coast and EnvironmentLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLA 70803, USA

Francesco De BiasioIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale dele RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Stefania De ZorziCORILAPalazzo FranchettiSan Marco 284730124 Venice, Italy

Maurizio Di Donato Consorzio Venezia NuovaSan Marco 280330124 Venice, Italy

Giampaolo Di SilvioDipartimento di Ingegneria IdraulicaMarittima, Ambientale e GeotecnicaUniversità degli Studi di PadovaVia Loredan 2035131 Padua, Italy

Carlo DoglioniDipartimento di Scienze della TerraUniversità ‘La Sapienza’ di RomaP. le Aldo Moro 500185 Rome, Italy

Bruno DolcettaInsula S.p.A.Dorsoduro 205030123 Venice, Italy

Sandra DonniciIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Steve DunthorneJacobs Gibb LtdJacobs HouseLondon RoadReading RG6 1BL, UK

xiv Contributors






Yuil EprimTechnital S.p.A.Via Cassano d’Adda 27/120139 Milan, Italy

Edoardo Faganello5D Coley HillReading RG1 6AE, UK

Maurizio FerlaAgenzia per la protezione dell’ambiente e per i

servizi tecnici (APAT)Palazzo X SaviRuga dei Oresi 5030125 Venice, Italy

Vincenzo FerraraENEA-Casaccia Research CenterVia Anguillarese 30100060 S. Maria di Galeria (Rome), Italy

Giorgio FerrariServizio Anti-inquinamentoMagistrato alle Acque di Venezia Ministero dei Lavori PubbliciPalazzo X SaviSan Polo 1930125 Venice, Italy

Christian FerrarinIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Alessandra FerrighiDipartimento di Storia dell’ArchitetturaUniversità IUAV di VeneziaSan Polo 246830125 Venice, Italy

Caroline A. FletcherChurchill College and Cambridge Coastal

Research UnitDepartment of GeographyUniversity of CambridgeDowning PlaceCambridge, UK

Marino FolinUniversità IUAV di VeneziaSanta Croce 19130135 Venice, Italy

Elisa Franzoni Dipartimento di Chimica Applicata e Scienza dei

MaterialiFacoltà di IngegneriaUniversità di BolognaV. le Risorgimento 2Bologna 40136, Italy

Roberto FrassettoIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche and IGBPSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Miro Gacic Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografica di Geofisica

SperimentaleBorgo Grotta Gigante 42/c34010 SgonicoTrieste, Italy

Gretel GambarelliFondazione Eni Enrico MatteiCastello 525230122 Venice, Italy

Andrea GambaroDipartimento di Scienze AmbientaliUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaIstituto per la Dinamica dei Processi Ambientali –

CNRCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

Valeria GarottaDipartimento di Ingegneria AmbientaleUniversità degli studi di GenovaVia Montallegro 116145 Genoa, Italy

Contributors xv






Domenico GaudiosoAgenzia per la protezione dell’ambiente e per i

servizi tecnici (APAT)Via Vitaliano Brancati 4800144 Rome, Italy

Herman GerritsenWL|Delft HydraulicsPO Box 1772600 MH Delft, The Netherlands

Joris Geurts Van KesselNational Institute for Coastal and Marine

Management/RIKZKortenaerkade 1PO Box 209072500 EX The Hague, The Netherlands

Antonio GozziTechnital S.p.A.Via Carlo Cattaneo 2037121 Verona, Italy

Anita GrezioIstituto Nazionale di Geofisica e VulcanologiaSede di BolognaVia Donato Creti 1240129 Bologna, Italy

Peter M GuthrieDepartment of EngineeringUniversity of CambridgeTrumpington StreetCambridge CB2 1PZ, UK

Donald R F Harleman Department of Civil and Environmental

EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyRalph M. Parsons Laboratory77 Mass AveCambridge MA 02139, USA

Marjukka HiltunenFinnish Environmental InstituteMechelininkatu 34aPO Box 140FIN-0051Helsinki, Finland

Peter HunterJacobs Gibb LtdJacobs HouseLondon RoadReading RG6 1BL, UK

Vedrana KovacevicIstituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica


Ralph LasageInstitute for Environmental StudiesVrije Universiteit, AmsterdamDe Boelelaan 10871081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Sarah LaveryUK Environment AgencyThames BarrierEastmoor StreetCharltonLondon SE7 8LX, UK

Alberto LezzieroIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Angelo LibertiniIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Piero LionelloDipartimento di Scienza dei MaterialiUniversità degli Studi di LecceVia per Arnesano73100 Lecce, Italy

xvi Contributors






Nicola LonardoniDipartimento di Chimica Applicata e Scienza dei

MaterialiFacoltà di IngegneriaUniversità di BolognaV. le Risorgimento 240136 Bologna, Italy

Isaac Mancero MosqueraIstituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica

SperimentaleBorgo Grotta Gigante 42c34010 SgonicoTrieste, Italy

Andrea MancusoUNESCO office in Venice – Regional Bureau for

Science in Europe (ROSTE)Palazzo ZorziCastello 493030122 Venice, Italy

Antonio MarcominiDipartimento di Sicenze AmbientaliUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

Concepción MarcosDepartamento de Ecologica e HidrologiaUniversidad de MurciaFacultad de BiologiaCampus de Espinardo 30151Murcia, Spain

Paolo MartiniDipartimento di Ingegneria IdraulicaMarittimaAmbientale e GeotecnicaUniversità degli Studi di PadovaVia Loredan20, 35131 Padua, Italy

Andrea MazzoldiIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Donata Melaku CanuIstituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica


Giselle Menel LemosTechnital S.p.A.Via C Cattaneo 2037121 Verona, Italy

Christian MichelettiDipartimento di Sicenze AmbientaliUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

Rosa R MikhailenkoMorzaschitaDepartment of St Petersburg City Administration76 Moika EmbSt Petersburg 190000, Russia

Roberta MilliniAgenzia Regionale per la Prevenzione e protezione

Ambientale del Veneto (ARPAV)Via Marconi 55Teolo35037 Padua, Italy

Daniele MionSELC scarlVia dell’Elettricità 5/d30174 Marghera – Venice, Italy

William MitschOlentangy River Wetland Research ParkSchool of Natural ResourcesOhio State UniversityColumbus OH 43210, USA

Marco MonaiAgenzia Regionale per la Prevenzione e protezione


Contributors xvii






Laura MontobbioConsorzio Venezia NuovaSan Marco 280330124 Venice, Italy

Howard MooreUNESCO Office in Venice – Regional Bureau for


Cristina NasciIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Paulo A. L. D. NunesFondazione Eni Enrico MatteiUniversità Ca’ Foscari di Venezia and Faculty of

Economics, Vrije Universiteit, AmsterdamCastello 525230122 Venice, Italy

Paolo OddoCorso di Scienze AmbientaliUniversità di BolognaLaboratorio FINCEMPiazzale Kennedy 1248100 Ravenna, Italy

Emanuela PaganIstituto di Scienze dell’AtmosferaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCorso Stati Uniti 435127 Padua, Italy

Daniela PampaninIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Paolo ParatiCentro di riferimento per il Bacino Scolante in

laguna di Venezia – ARPAVVia Lissa 630171 Mestre-Venice, Italy

Roberto PastresDipartimento di Chimica FisicaUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

Gisella PennaDivisione Ambiente – Regione VenetoCannaregio 9930121 Venice, Italy

Angel Peres-RuzafaDepartamento de Ecologica e HidrologiaUniversidad de MurciaFacultad de BiologiaCampus de Espinardo 30151 Murcia, Spain

Bianca M. PetronioDipartimento di ChimicaUniversità ‘La Sapienza’ di RomaP. le Aldo Moro 500185 Rome, Italy

Mario PianaDipartimento di Storia dell’ArchitetturaUniversità IUAV di VeneziaSan Polo 246830125 Venice, Italy

Andrea PieriniSELC scarlVia dell’Elettricità 5/d30175 Marghera – Venice, Italy

Marco PietrolettiDipartimento di ChimicaUniversità ‘La Sapienza’ di RomaP. le Aldo Moro 500185 Rome, Italy

Nadia PinardiIstituto Nazionale di Geofisica e VulcanologiaSede di BolognaVia Donato Creti 1240129 Bologna, Italy

Maria Giovanna PivaMagistrato alle Acque di VeneziaMinistero dei Lavori PubbliciPalazzo X SaviSan Polo 1930125 Venice, Italy

xviii Contributors






Giulio PojanaDipartimento di Scienze AmbientaliUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

Philippe PypaertUNESCO office in Venice – Regional Bureau for


Sandro RabittiIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Astrid RaudnerAgenzia per la protezione dell’ambiente e per i

servizi tecnici (APAT)Via Vitaliano Brancati 4800144 Rome, Italy

Andrea RazziniAutorità Portuale di VeneziaZattere 140130123 Venice, Italy

Paul RichensChurchill CollegeStorey’s WayCambridge CB3 0DS, UK

Enrico RinaldiCORILASan Marco 284730124 Venice, Italy

Andrea RismondoSELC ScarlVia dell’Elettricita 5/d30175 Marghera – Venice, Italy

Pierluigi RossettoThetis S.p.A.Castello 2737/f30122 Venice, Italy

John RybczykDepartment of Environmental SciencesWestern Washington UniversityBellingham WA 98225, USA

Henk L. F. SaejsErasmus Center for Sustainability and ManagementErasmus University RotterdamEuropalaan 31Middleburg 4334 EA, The Netherlands

Franco Sandrolini Dipartimento di Chimica Applicata e Scienza dei

MaterialiUniversità di BolognaV. le Risorgimento 240136 Bologna, Italy

Alexander N. SavinSt Petersburg City Administration76 Moika EmbSt Petersburg 190000, Russia

Francesco ScartonSELC ScarlVia dell’Elettricita 5/d30175 Marghera – Venice, Italy

Mario ScattolinAssessorato all’AmbienteComune di VeneziaSan Marco 413630124 Venice, Italy

Alberto ScottiTechnital S.p.A.Via Carlo Cattaneo 2037121 Verona, Italy

Davide ScroccaIstituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria

(IGAG)Consiglio Nazionale delle RicercheP. le Aldo Moro 500185 Rome, Italy

Isabella ScroccaroIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Contributors xix






Giovanni SeminaraDipartimento di Ingegneria AmbientaleUniversità degli studi di GenovaVia Montallegro 116145 Genoa, Italy

Adriano SfrisoDipartimento di Sicenze AmbientaliUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

Giorgio SocalIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Stefano SofiaAgenzia Regionale per la Prevenzione e protezione


Cosimo SolidoroDipartimento di OceanografiaIstituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica


Anna Somers CocksVenice in PerilUnit 4 Hurlingham StudiosRanelagh GardensLondon SW6 3PA, UK

Robin J. S. SpenceThe Martin CentreDepartment of ArchitectureUniversity of Cambridge6 Chaucer RoadCambridge CB2 2EB, UK

Tom SpencerCambridge Coastal Research UnitDepartment of GeographyUniversity of CambridgeDowning PlaceCambridge CB2 3EN, UK

Mario SpinelliIUAV Studi e progetti srlDorsoduro 390030123 Venice, Italy

Peter K. StansbyDipartimento di Ingegneria AmbientaleUniversità degli studi di GenovaVia Montallegro 116145 Genoa, Italy

Fabio StrazzaboscoDirezione Regionale Geologia e Ciclo dell’acqua –

Regione VenetoCalle PriuliCannaregio 9930121 Venice, Italy

Giovanni SturaroIstituto di Scienze dell’AtmosferaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCorso Stati Uniti 435127 Padua, Italy

Nicoletta Tambroni Dipartimento di Ingegneria AmbientaleUniversità degli Studi di GenovaVia Montallegro 116145 Genoa, Italy

Alberto TomasinDipartimento di Matematica ApplicataUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaCannaregio 317530121 Venice, Italy

Giuseppina ToscanoDipartimento di Scienze AmbientaliUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

xx Contributors






Renata TrisoliniIstituto di Scienze Marine/Biologia del MareConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCastello 1364/a30122 Venice, Italy

Clara TurettaIstituto per la Dinamica dei Processi AmbientaliConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCalle Larga Santa MartaDorsoduro 213730123 Venice, Italy

Ivano Turlon Insula S.p.A.Dorsoduro 205030123 Venice, Italy

Georg UmgiesserIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Hans Van PageeRijkswaterstaatMinistry of Transport Public Works and Water

Management; National Institute for Coastal andMarine Management (RIKZ)

PO Box 8039Grenadierweg 314330 EA Middelburg, The Netherlands

Marina VazzolerAgenzia Regionale per la Prevenzione e protezione

Ambientale del Veneto (ARPAV)Piazzale Stazione 135131 Padua, Italy

Pier Vellinga Faculty of Earth and Life SciencesVrije UniversiteitDe Boelelaan 1085/F148Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands

Ettore VioCuria Patriarcale di VeneziaSan Marco30124 Venice, Italy

Rinus VisWL|Delft HydraulicsP.O. Box 1772600 MH Delft, The Netherlands

David J. WilkesEnvironment AgencyPhoenix HouseGlobal AvenueLeeds LS11 8PG, UK

Luca ZaggiaIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Lucia Zampato Centro Previsioni e Segnalazioni MareeComune di VeneziaPalazzo CavalliSan Marco 409030124 Venice, Italy

Guido ZanovelloStuido Altieri SrlVia Colleoni 5036016 Thiene, Italy

Stefano ZecchettoIstituto di Scienze dell’Atmosfera e del ClimaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheCorso Stati Uniti 435127 Padua, Italy

Elisabetta ZendriDipartimento di Sicenze AmbientaliUniversità Ca’ Foscari di VeneziaVia Torino 155/b30174 Mestre-Venice, Italy

Alberto Zirino Scripps Institution of OcenographyUniversity of California, San Diego9500 Gilman DriveLa JollaCA 92093-0202, USA

Contributors xxi






Roberto ZontaIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

Aleardo ZulianiIstituto di Scienze Marine – VeneziaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheSan Polo 136430125 Venice, Italy

xxii Contributors






CONVERTING RESEARCH INTO ACTION

The 16 million visitors who come to Venice annuallysee restoration going on everywhere. This is a citywhere property values are booming and monumentsare expertly protected by the Superintendencies, theresponsible government officials. But the deeper real-ity is less happy. Time is running out for this loveliestof cities. Even on a calm day, the water laps above thestone foundations of many of the buildings andattacks the brickwork above. The frequency of flood-ing is increasing, and Venice is essentially no betterprotected from an extreme weather event than it wasat the time of the great flood of 1966. The future effectsof climate change (difficult to predict precisely, butcapable of being factored in nonetheless) are barelybeing considered. And yet large sums have been spentsince the 1970s on scientific research into what shouldbe done to defend Venice from the sea. The problemhas been in converting that research into action. Whenthe Venice in Peril, the British fund for the safeguard-ing of Venice, turned itself from an organization thatmainly restored monuments into one that also lookedinto the chief peril facing Venice, the waters, we real-ized that the fundamental reason for this inaction wasa lack of agreement about what science was actuallytelling us. The arguments about whether the proposedmobile barriers are vital or actually damaging havefiercely divided the citizens of Venice and Italianpoliticians and both sides invoke science. We discov-ered, also, that the reliable evidence was difficult totrack down. Most of it was unpublished, some was noteven listed in an accessible way and very little was inEnglish, which was a loss to the international scientificcommunity that has a lot to learn from the work doneon Venice and its lagoon. In 2001, Venice in Peril beganfunding its collaboration with the Coastal Research

Unit of Cambridge University and CORILA in Venicewith the aim of helping specialists link up with non-specialists; of encouraging free, open and informeddebate among the scientists concerned; of making theworld especially those who have the power to decideon the future for Venice, realize that Venice can besaved. A healthy, collaborative research environmentmay produce the knowledge that will save Venice,which is why this book is important. It is the broad-est, most up-to-date published scientific survey of thequestion since research into this field began. It is amilestone in the endless process that is essential if wewant our great-grand-children to see this incompara-ble achievement of man.

Anna Somers Cocks Chairman Venice in Peril

COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE WORLDSOF SCIENCE AND CULTURE

For many of my generation, Venice would be firstencountered through those stark, black-and-whiteimages of November 1966, and the harrowing sceneswe witnessed of damage brought on by the devastat-ing flooding. It was to be our first recognition of thefragile and vulnerable nature of that most excep-tional of cities on the globe. The Campaign for theSafeguarding of Venice had its origins in the imme-diate reaction by UNESCO to that dramatic event,when an international campaign was launched bythe then Director-General of the Organization, RenéMaheu. In response to the appeal of Maheu, manyprivate bodies (some fifty-nine) were set up aroundthe world to gather funds and use them in the

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preservation and restoration of buildings, monu-ments and works of art in Venice. Even today, almostforty years on, there are well over twenty – in 11countries – that are still active, and UNESCO,through its Office in the city and the Association ofPrivate Committees, is pleased to play a part in theirimportant work. UNESCO can also be satisfied tohave quickly brought the attention of the interna-tional community to the need for extending theinternational campaign beyond the conservation ofits monuments and works of art to more complexquestions concerning the safeguarding of the entirelagoon system: questions that required close collab-oration between the worlds of science and culture.(It is important to recall in this connection that it is‘Venice and its Lagoon’ that appears on the WorldHeritage List.) UNESCO was thus to become one ofthe main actors in the Comitato Tecnico Scientifico(CTS), the scientific and technical committee for thesafeguarding of Venice and its lagoon, which, duringthe 1980s, developed the idea of a major project tobe later given life by the Italian Ministry forUniversities and Scientific and TechnologicalResearch (MURST) under the title ‘Venice LagoonEcosystem’ Project. This provided a quantitativeunderstanding of the major flows making up thecoupling between pelagic and benthic systemswithin the lagoon waters, and related this under-standing to the processes of eutrophication. Later,the UNESCO Office in Venice was to undertake asecond initiative, the ‘Venice Inner Canals’ Project,which sought to develop, calibrate and validate afirst water quality model for central Venice. The proj-ect included additional sampling and laboratorywork on both the waters and sediments’ bio-chemi-cal and microbiological characteristics and led to thefinal calibration of a new hydrodynamic model, aswell as to the development of a water quality modelto be applied to the Venice inner canal system. It wasagainst this backdrop that the UNESCO Office inVenice – Regional Bureau for Science in Europe(ROSTE) was pleased to be involved in, and support,the Cambridge conference of which this book pro-vides the all-important written record. The organiz-ers, Venice in Peril, the University of Cambridge,Churchill College and CORILA, are to be congratu-lated on having brought together, in a timely way,

scholars, scientists and those whose professional lifeis bound up with the city and Venice and its lagoon.The Italian Government has now set in train theMOSES Project for the protection of the City and itslagoon, although as the meeting in Cambridgeshowed, there is far from unanimity among theexperts as to whether or not it will prove to be aneffective means by which Venice and its lagoon canbe protected against extreme environmental eventsin the future. Either way, the need for multidiscipli-nary research on this most complex of systems willbe as great as ever, and I am convinced that this vol-ume will prove to have been an important milestoneon the road to our understanding it.

Howard MooreDirectorUNESCO Office in Venice – Regional Bureau for Science in Europe (ROSTE)

THE FRAGILE CITY

‘Sospesa sull'abisso, la vita degli abitantid'Ottavia è meno incerta che in altre città. Sannoche più di tanto la rete non regge.’

(‘Suspended over the abyss, the life of Octavia'sinhabitants is less uncertain than in other cities.They know the net will last only so long.’)

(Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities)

In Calvino's book, Marco Polo describes 55 mysteriouscities, each bearing a woman's name. They seem toexpose the beauty and ugliness, the humanity andcomplexity, that can be found in any long-standingcity; but slowly it dawns on us that each place is anaspect of Venice, and the overarching theme is that offragility. There is a natural affinity between Cambridgeand Venice, and Churchill College was more thanpleased to support Venice in Peril and CORILA in theprogramme that has led to this book. One of our mainfunctions as a College is to bring together researchersof different origins, interests and disciplines, and fewcauses can have a greater need of interdisciplinaryunderstanding and cooperation than the survival ofVenice and its lagoon. Our initial discussions with

xxiv Preface






Venice in Peril, particularly with Anna Somers Cocks,brought in architects, ecologists, engineers and geogra-phers and led to the appointment of our Venice in PerilResearch Fellow, Dr Caroline Fletcher (herself an envi-ronmental chemist), and an interdisciplinary steeringcommittee chaired by Dr Tom Spencer (a coastal geog-rapher). They built bridges to the Venetian researchersin CORILA, and we came to know PierpaoloCampostrini and Jane Da Mosto rather well. The hugerange of relevant issues was demonstrated in the firstworkshops held in 2002, which in turn set the agendafor the International Meeting, held in Churchill Collegein September 2003, which is recorded in this volume.The fundamental objective of the programme is to rein-force support for those working on the survival ofVenice and its environment by exposing their work tothe international scientific community. Though Veniceis unique, its problems have many parallels across theworld, and we believe that this book demonstratesboth the potential for international engagement, andthe benefit that it will yield.

Marco smiled. ‘What else do you believe I havebeen talking about? ... Every time I describe a city Iam saying something about Venice.’

Paul Richens,Vice-MasterSir John Boyd KCMG, MasterChurchill College, Cambridge

EDITORIAL NOTE

All the substantive chapters in this volume havebeen subject to a full and thorough process of peerreview, using at least two referees of internationalstanding in their own particular specialism and withthe editorial control of Dr Fletcher and Dr Spencerof Cambridge University. All authors have revisedtheir contributions in the light of comments received.The chapters which appear here have been approvedby Dr Fletcher, Dr Spencer and by the lead author ofeach chapter, on behalf of all authors of that chapter.

The editors wish to acknowledge here the excep-tional contribution of Jane Da Mosto. She has playeda major role to bring this large and complex work tofruition. Her assistance in liaising between the edi-tors, individual authors and organizations in Veniceand elsewhere, and her tireless contributions to thegeneral editing of the volume, have been critical inmaintaining the forward momentum of this publishinginitiative.

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Documents

Flooding and Environmental Challenges for Venice and its ...assets.cambridge.org/97805218/40460/frontmatter/9780521840460... · 48 The influence of the inlet configuration on sediment