Last month’s flooding is attributed to a combination of factors including strong winds, heavy rains, high tides, which were pushed into Venice by southerly winds. Besides, rising sea levels make the city built amid a system of canals even more vulnerable to inundation.
The sea level around Venice has been rising steadily for decades and it has been attributed to climate change. Globally, the mean sea level is now estimated to be more than 20 cm higher than it was a century ago. Studies show that sea level is still rising 2.4mm a year along Venice. Some estimates suggest the Mediterranean Sea levels will rise by five feet by the end of the century, which could cause the city to flood twice daily. Currently, Venice experiences flooding about four times annually.
Further, the soft and the shifting geological terrain of the city has made the ground level sink gradually by an estimated one millimetre a year. Local industries around Venice make things worse by pumping groundwater from the aquifer under the lagoon.
Because of the combined effect of the city’s terrain and the rising of the sea, the water is now 30 cm higher against the buildings than it was when record-keeping began in 1873.
Picture Credit : Google