Floods, landscape modifications and population dynamics in anthropogenic coastal lowlands: the Polesine (northern Italy) case study

It is widely recognized that the complex relationship between humans, soil, and water has become increasingly complicated due to anthropogenic activities, and is further expected to worsen in the future as a result of population dynamics and climate change. The present study aims at shedding light on the multifaceted links between floods, landscape modifications, and population dynamics in anthropogenic coastal lowlands, using a large flood-prone area (the Polesine Region, northeastern Italy) as a significant case study. Based on the analysis of historical events and the results of hydraulic modeling, it is shown that human interventions on both the landscape and the subsoil have substantially altered the flooding dynamics, exacerbating hydraulic hazard. Furthermore, the combined analysis of people and assets exposure to inundation reveals that flood risk is not properly taken into account in land-use planning, nor it is properly understood by people living in areas subject to low-probability, high-impact flooding events

Wave-current interaction in the Porto di Lido entrance of the Venice Lagoon

Water Qualit

An Integrated Approach for Evaluating the Restoration of the Salinity Gradient in Transitional Waters: Monitoring and Numerical Modeling in the Life Lagoon Refresh Case Study

Large lagoons usually show a salinity gradient due to fresh water tributaries with inner areas characterized by lower mean values and higher fluctuation of salinity than seawaterdominated areas. In the Venice Lagoon, this ecotonal environment, characterized in the past by oligo‐mesohaline waters and large intertidal areas vegetated by reedbeds, was greatly reduced by historical human environmental modifications, including the diversion of main rivers outside the Venice Lagoon. The reduction of the fresh water inputs caused a marinization of the lagoon, with an increase in salinity and the loss of the related habitats, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. To counteract this issue, conservation actions, such as the construction of hydraulic infrastructures for the introduction and the regulation of a fresh water flow, can be implemented. The effectiveness of these actions can be preliminarily investigated and then verified through the combined implementation of environmental monitoring and numerical modeling. Through the results of the monitoring activity carried out in Venice Lagoon in the framework of the Life Lagoon Refresh (LIFE16NAT/IT/000663) project, the study of salinity is shown to be a successful and robust combination of different types of monitoring techniques. In particular, the characterization of salinity is obtained by the acquisition of continuous data, field campaigns, and numerical modeling

Wave-current interaction in the Porto di Lido entrance of the Venice Lagoon

The wave propagation and flow modules of the TELEMAC system have been applied to the “Porto di Lido” entrance of the Venice Lagoon. Wave-current interactions were analysed by direct coupling of the phase-averaged model TOMAWAC and of the two-dimensional depth-averaged flow TELEMAC 2D model. ARTEMIS software was separately applied to estimate the effect of refraction. The model includes the “Porto di Lido” entrance, one of the three channels connecting the Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea. The aim of the analysis is to evaluate the wave climate and the harbour tranquillity of a planned landing cruise, recently proposed in order to prevent the cruise ships from entering the Lagoon and mooring near San Marco. Several tests were performed and the results permit a comparison between the present condition and a future scenario including the planned terminal (landing cruise)

Infiltrazione e trasporto di soluto in un terreno non saturo

Lavoro svolto nell'ambito del progetto "Sistema Lagunare Veneziano", Linea di ricerca 2.8Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). Biblioteca Centrale / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal