Comments on: Flooding in Venice

By: susana

susana — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:32:37 +0000

Hola, alguien sabe como esta actualmente venecia? voy para alla mediados de enero, y queria saber con que me voy a encotnrar, si sera visitable. Y es mi primera vez
Gracias

By: Venice Italy

Venice Italy — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:11:51 +0000

Just to specify and be precise, Venice suffers from high tides, but it not like a flood, water arrives and goes away in few hours, the venetians are used to it and are organized for that. The last relevant event of high tide in any case, was the greatest of the last 22 years, and the picture above is taken from St. Mark's Square the lowest part of the city.

I don't say is nothing, but it is not such a devastating event that journals and media are trying to make people belive!

A venetian

By: H D Dunn

H D Dunn — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:21:48 +0000

How come when Venice floods, it Global Warming to blame but NYC, Miami, Galveston, London, and other cities sit at only inches above sea level and they only flood when an extraordinary event i.e. hurricane and 5 to 10 inches of sudden rain fall. So my question is "If we all know from elementary school science classes that water seeks its own level, then how come the melting ice cap from global warming isn't causing the water level to rise uniformly." I listened to a joker the other night discussing how global warming and he gave all these scary details about Miami, Galveston, New Orleans, London, etc. flooding due to global warming. What was strange he never once mentioned New York -- that's where he lives--I've been to NYC like most people and I tell you that the ocean is right there--only a few feet below where you stand in Battery Park......

By: Rocky Rook

Rocky Rook — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:31:33 +0000

I never understood why people are shocked about flooding in Venice and New Orleans.

By: yo

yo — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:50:48 +0000

As soon as I started reading this story, I KNEW this flooding would be blamed on "Global Warming," and I was right! The simple fact is that venice was built in a poor location - swampy islands right at sea level. It has flooded thousands of times over its history. The city is sinking due to old (now stopped) method of pumping groundwater out from under it. This, coupled with NATURALLY OCCURRING weather patterns, and shifting levels in the adriatic seas, are the most likely cause, not sensationalistic claims of 'global warming.' Such flippant talk makes me sick. See this article for more info:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2002/venice-1106.html

While the article also talks about rising sea levels, it doesn't glibly attribute them to global warming. Here's the money quote:

"The increased flooding is caused by two things: the city is sinking and sea level is rising.

After World War II, water needed by new industry was obtained by pumping groundwater from nearby areas. As the water table decreased, the islands began sinking. The practice of pumping groundwater was stopped shortly after the devastating flood of 1966, and the city is now sinking at the much lower rate of 0.4mm per year.

At the same time, the Adriatic Sea and other ocean waters have been rising at the rate of 1.6mm per year, PERHAPS DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES [emphasis added]. "It could be the ubiquitous sea level rise that occurs around the world and has been going on fairly consistently since the last glacial period," said Bras. "You can debate whether it is accelerating or not, but so far I see no evidence of acceleration."

By: qwhacker

qwhacker — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:43:05 +0000

@belled27 - i live in a house with 4 other male roommates... the smell shouldn't be a problem

By: liphttam1

liphttam1 — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:33:13 +0000

Sorry to offend, but I always kind of liked the swimming pool city idea.

By: DOJ

DOJ — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:48:13 +0000

Coyote, it's at 60" now (not 50")
they are claiming what was an outlier in 1966, isn't as much of an outlier in 2008's environment

By: Coyote

Coyote — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:52:16 +0000

So 50" in 2008 is global warmings fault, but a 72" flood in 1966 is just normal weather?

By: belled27

belled27 — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:04:19 +0000

qwhacker - be wary of the smell in May, but flooding should not be a problem

By: qwhacker

qwhacker — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:59:55 +0000

i never realized how often it flooded. i'm going in may and i hope i don't run into any floods

By: belled27

belled27 — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:13:25 +0000

I hope they get the Flood Controls working as soon as possible. Venice is my favorite city to visit.

This post and the article really made me want to cry.