Analysis of actual land subsidence in Venice, Italy, and its hinterland
L. Carbognin, L. Tosi
Istituto per lo Studio della Dinamica delle Grandi Masse, CNR, Venezia,
Italy
P. Teatini
Dept. Mathematical Methods and Models for Scientific
Applications, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
ABSTRACT
A short review of the land subsidence occurred in Venice and its hinterland in
the past decades bacause of a rash groundwater exploitation is first presented.
The altimetrical evolution of the Venetian territory is then analyzed for the
last twenty years. This period is quite significant to evaluate the present trend
of land subsidence after the cessation of the intensive water withdrawals
completely verified in 1975. Regional levelings carried out in 1973 have pointed
out different behaviors between the stable zone of the mainland, Venice and its
surroundings and the lesser stable zones along the extreme lagoon edges and the
littorals. Here land subsidence still occurs even if the measured sinking
rate is about ten times lesser than that recorded during the critical 20-year
period from 1950 to 1970.
