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A new project to monitor land subsidence in the northern Venice coastland (Italy)

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

The paper deals with the implementation of a levelling and Global Positioning System (GPS) network to control land subsidence in the coastal area north of the Venice Lagoon. About 480 km of levelling lines with 527 benchmarks, 45 of which suited for Differential GPS measurements, were established in 2004. A complete survey of the net was carried out in 2004 soon after its establishment. The 2004 records have been compared with previous scattered data obtained by the use of levelling surveys, DGPS and SAR interferometry. The results show a trend in land settlement that increases from the lagoon margin to the north and jeopardize the Venice coastland. Groundwater withdrawals for domestic, agricultural, and health spas uses, peat oxidation of reclaimed marshlands for farming, natural consolidation of the Holocene deposits, and tectonics of the pre-Quaternary basement are the causes of land subsidence in the study area. Since most of the area lies below the mean sea level and on account of the expected sea level rise due to global change, a detailed monitoring of land displacements in the near future will be of paramount importance to plan necessary works for coastland protection.

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Acknowledgments

This study is supported by the IRMA Project. IRMA is funded by Provincia di Venezia, National Research Council (Institute of Marine Sciences, Venice), Venice Water Authority, Cavallino-Treporti and Jesolo Municipalities, Consorzio di bonifica Basso Piave, and supported by Consorzio di bonifica Pianura Veneta between Livenza and Tagliamento Rivers, and Caorle, Concordia Sagittaria, Musile di Piave, S. Donà di Piave, S. Michele al Tagliamento, and S. Stino di Livenza Municipalities. We acknowledge Andrea Vitturi of the Provincia di Venezia, Roberto Rosselli of the Servizio Informativo—Venice Water Authority, and Alessandro Montagner of the Jesolo Municipality for their active collaboration. Levelling and DGPS measurements have been carried out by Te.Ma. S.n.c. (Faenza–Ravenna) and Morgan S.r.l. (Mestre–Venezia), respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR), National Research Council (CNR), San Polo 1364, 30125, Venice, Italy

    Luigi Tosi, Pietro Teatini, Laura Carbognin & Jane Frankenfield

  2. Department of Mathematical Methods and Models for Scientific Applications (DMMMSA), University of Padova (UNIPD), via Belzoni 7, 35131, Padova, Italy

    Pietro Teatini

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  1. Luigi Tosi
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  2. Pietro Teatini
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  3. Laura Carbognin
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  4. Jane Frankenfield
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Correspondence to Luigi Tosi.

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Tosi, L., Teatini, P., Carbognin, L. et al. A new project to monitor land subsidence in the northern Venice coastland (Italy). Environ Geol 52, 889–898 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0530-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-006-0530-8

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