Thursday, 8 February 2024
12:00 – 13:00 CET
GoToWebinar

Abstract

Venice has experienced a loss of approximately 30 cm in elevation relative to the Adriatic Sea level since the early 20th century, primarily attributed to land subsidence. A similar loss is anticipated over the next few decades due to rising sea levels. To address these challenges, an innovative project was proposed two decades ago to enhance Venice’s resilience against the impacts of climate change. The plan involves raising the city by injecting seawater into the 600-1000 m aquifer system beneath the lagoon using 12 injection wells strategically placed on a circle with a 10 km radius encompassing the city. Leveraging a substantial dataset on the hydro-geo-mechanical properties of the Northern Adriatic sedimentary basin, advanced modeling techniques were employed to predict a uniform uplift of the city and its surroundings by 25-30 cm within a 10-year timeframe. Although initially met with limited attention from the local community, this solution is now gaining recognition as it is becoming increasingly evident that MoSE alone will not suffice to provide comprehensive and long-term protection to both Venice and its lagoon. The seminar will provide insights into the setup and outcomes of this solution, highlighting its potential significance.

Speaker

Pietro Teatini is associate professor in Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering at University of Padova, Italy, with qualification for full professor. He has been associated researcher at the National Research Council ISMAR (previously ISDGM) from 2003 to 2018. He is chair of the UNESCOInternational Initiative on Land subsidence,  vice-director of the second academic comittee of the Key Lab of Land Subsidence Monitoring and Prevention, Shanghai (China), and member of the academic committee “Groundwater Dynamic Monitoring Network and Subsidence National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station”, Ministry of Science and Technology, China. His research interests include modelling flow in confined/phreatic aquifer systems and geomechanical processes (e.g., land subsidence and uplift, caprock integrity, induced seismicity, stress analyses in faulted basins) related to fluid withdrawal/injection from/into the subsurface. Understanding, quantifying, and modelling processes shaping transitional landforms are other topics addressed by this research. He is the author and co-author of more than 150 publications in international journals and of the book “Venice Shall Rise Again. Engineered Uplift of Venice through Seawater Injection” published by Elsevier. He is listed in the top 2% among the most influential scientists globally according to a Stanford University “World Ranking Top 2% Scientists”.

This webinar is the first in a series of Seminars, organized by the FEEM Research Program “Climate Change Adaptation (Adapt@VE)” and Ca’ Foscari University on Venice Lagoon.

Read the Press Release (Ita) on 08/02/2024