"Venice Sea Level Could Rise 1.2m Due to Climate Change... One-Seventh of the City Flooded"

On the 8th of last month (local time), pedestrians were walking around St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy, which was flooded due to the incoming tide.

A warning has been issued that sea levels in Venice, Italy, could rise by more than 1 meter by around 2100 due to the effects of climate change.

On the 4th, a joint research team from the University of Salento and Ca' Foscari University of Venice in Italy predicted that depending on the pace of climate change, the average sea level in Venice could rise between at least 17 cm and up to 120 cm by around 2100 compared to current levels.

The research findings were published on the 1st (local time) in the European geoscience journal "Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences" (NHESS).

If sea levels rise by 120 cm, it is known that about 15% of Venice would be submerged. This effectively means that one-seventh of the city would be permanently flooded.

The researchers suggested that this risk of sea level rise should be fully considered when planning the city's urban development.

Venice experiences habitual flooding known as "Acqua alta" from September to April of the following year, caused by natural phenomena such as the gravitational forces of the sun and moon that raise sea levels.

Typically, sea levels exceeding 110 cm are considered Acqua alta, but due to the impact of climate change, this phenomenon has been occurring much more frequently and severely in recent years.

In November 2019, sea levels surged to a maximum of 187 cm, flooding 80% of the city. At that time, the Basilica di San Marco, a Byzantine-style architectural symbol of Venice, suffered significant damage as parts of its underground and above-ground areas were submerged.

To prevent such flood damage, a 6 billion euro (approximately 8.2 trillion won) sea barrier (MOSE) was completed in October last year after 17 years of construction. However, there are many negative evaluations that this artificial structure disrupts tidal flows and adversely affects the ecosystem.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.