Evidence of the present relative land stability of Venice, Italy, from land, sea, and space observations

Abstract

The city of Venice is very vulnerable to loss in surface elevation as a result of subsidence and eustacy because of its small elevation above sea level. The alarm of the scientific community related to this persistent problem is increasing because of the forecasts of sea level rise caused by global warming. In order to evaluate the present relative subsidence of Venice, a study has been performed by combining high precision leveling, Satellite Radar Interferometry (SRI) and tide gauge measurements. The analysis of the most recent data points out with an unprecedented detail the present ground stability of the city.