Subsidence due to peat soil loss in the Zennare Basin (Italy): Design and set-up
of the field experiment
A. Fornasiero, G. Gambolati, M. Putti, P. Teatini
Dept. Mathematical Methods and Models for Scientific
Applications, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
S. Ferraris
Dip. Economia ed Ingegneria Agraria, Forestale e Ambientale,
University of Torino, Torino, Italy
A. Pitacco
Dip. Agronomia Ambientale e Produzioni Vegetali,
University of Padova, Padova, Italy
F. Rizzetto, L. Tosi, M. Bonardi, P. Gatti
Istituto per lo Studio della Dinamica delle Grandi Masse, CNR, Venezia,
Italy
ABSTRACT
The Zennare Basin has been selected to represent the peat soil agricultural farmland of the south catchment of the
Lagoon of Venice. The area was completely reclaimed during the 1930's and at present lies almost entirely below
mean sea level (down to - 4 m a.s.l.). The extensive land subsidence that occurred since reclamation
is primarily caused by the loss of sediment mass due to oxidation of the organic soil component, with consequential
CO2 gas release into the atmosphere. Because the process is essentially controlled by soil temperature
and moisture, a field experiment has been designed and implemented for the determination of the relationships
that control the CO2 fluxes from the soil and the land sinking rates.
