Keeping the Sea at Bay

We are now a few days separated from freezing Venice, but I'd still like to talk about what I found very interesting, the MOSE system.

The thought of trying to keep back the force of the sea is fascinating. It seems like such an ultimately impossible task, but it certainly benefits Venice to keep trying for as long as possible. The consequences of the Aqcua Alta are very real, and they are experienced all too often.

The Aqcua Alta is a time of high water in the city caused by many factors, the major contributers being rising sea levels, tides, and storms. When combined, all of these factors create an unpredictable and random occurence of water levels rising up to several feet for a short period of time. As you could imagine, this wreaks havoc upon any floor level shops and historical location, as well as the virtually complete pause of foot travel and tourist activities around the city.

The solution to this problem, proposed and enacted by Venice's water authority, is 78 mobile walls grouped and arranged to block high water from entering through the three main waterways of the Venice lagoon - the MOSE system. The giant cement walls are built like doors laid flat on the sea floor, rising away from the lagoon when needed.

Of course, many pros and cons are presented by this contraversial answer to occasional flooding, and already huge amounts of money have been spent. However, I can't think of a more spectacular achievement of engineering to protect such a beautiful place.