Scientists Try to Keep Venice Above the Waves 35

Posted by timothy on Monday August 19, 2002 @05:41PM from the water-wings-will-go-dearly dept.

batkins writes: "According to this article in Scientific American, the ancient city of Venice could disappear beneath the sea within a few decades. The Italian government has initiated a program called Moses to help prevent the loss of the great city. Venice has been slowly sinking for years, but industrial meddling with its groundwater has quickened the pace. Project Moses will begin this December."

Scientists Try to Keep Venice Above the Waves

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Another Proublem (Score:2, Interesting)

by mageben ( 557038 ) writes:

I bet the seas rising due to global warming isn't helping either.

-Ben
- Re:Another Problem (Score:1, Informative)
  
  by Anonymous Coward writes:
  
  It isn't making any difference - the rate of sea level change is negligible compared to the rate the ground is sinking.
well whaddaya know.... (Score:1)

by Morphine007 ( 207082 ) writes:

a modern atlantis...
- Re:well whaddaya know.... (Score:3, Interesting)
  
  by CaptainCarrot ( 84625 ) writes:
  
  More like a modern Alexandria [underwaterdiscovery.org]. At least we know Alexandria is real...
Yeah, but... (Score:4, Funny)

by Dimwit ( 36756 ) writes: on Monday August 19, 2002 @05:55PM (#4100563)

The Italian government has initiated a program called Moses to help prevent the loss of the great city.

Yeah, but wouldn't Noah be a better name?

No problem, just go to Vegas (Score:2, Funny)

by 1qaz2wsx ( 519397 ) writes:

What are they worried about, you can just go to
Las Vegas to see Venice...
Better Moses than Joshua (Score:2, Informative)

by JUSTONEMORELATTE ( 584508 ) writes:

Moses just had to go to the water to make it recede, Joshua had to get his feet wet [biblegateway.com] before he saw results!
Moses (Score:2, Funny)

by Danse ( 1026 ) writes:

And when project Moses fails to achieve its goal, project Noah will be put into action. A giant gondola will be built to carry the inhabitants of Venice to safety... and romance. ;)
The project is called MOSE (Score:3, Interesting)

by an_mo ( 175299 ) writes: on Monday August 19, 2002 @06:29PM (#4100767) Journal

... not Moses. (MOdulo Sperimentale Elettromagnetico), i.e. Electromagnetic Experimental Module . Unfortunately I can't find a link to it, only a bunch of aricles like this in english [intlconstruction.com]

- Re:The project is called MOSE (Score:1)
  
  by dev0n ( 313063 ) writes:
  
  try this site [salve.it] which has an english version.
Prolonging the inevitable (Score:3, Insightful)

by uncoveror ( 570620 ) writes: on Monday August 19, 2002 @07:11PM (#4100964) Homepage

They are only prolonging the inevitable. The ancient city of Venice will just have to be abandoned. If you try to fight nature, you will lose.

- Re:Prolonging the inevitable (Score:1)
  
  by one9nine ( 526521 ) writes:
  
  It's true.
  
  "Jebediah Springfield was believed to have once killed a bear with his bare hands. Modern history, however, recently uncovered evidence that the bear in fact probably killed him." :-(
- Re:Prolonging the inevitable (Score:2)
  
  by Snafoo ( 38566 ) writes:
  
  If you try to fight nature, you will lose.
  Tell that to smallpox.
- Re:Prolonging the inevitable (Score:1)
  
  by Wonda ( 457426 ) writes:
  
  The Netherlands do just fine, thanks. Below sea level for a few centuries now.
- Re:Prolonging the inevitable (Score:2)
  
  by rpjs ( 126615 ) writes:
  
  Maybe it is, but by God, Venice is worth it, even if it buys a few more years. If you haven't been there, go.
- Re:Prolonging the inevitable (Score:2)
  
  by Debillitatus ( 532722 ) writes:
  
  If you try to fight nature, you will lose.
  True
  That's why we're still being eaten by saber-tooth tigers.
There'll be some fabulous diving when I retire (Score:2)

by bill_mcgonigle ( 4333 ) writes:

Bangkok is sinking [lonelyplanet.com] too.
- Re:There'll be some fabulous diving when I retire (Score:2)
  
  by !splut ( 512711 ) writes:
  
  That would make for some pretty foul, polluted, toxic water. You might want to leave diving there to some lifeless submersibles.
  
  -----
Obstructive environmentalists (Score:1, Insightful)

by Anonymous Coward writes:

I notice from the article that "environmentalists" are desperately trying to stop anything being done. Am I the only one who thinks they *want* Venice to sink, so they can use it as a cause celebre for global warming (even if it actually sank due to plate tectonics).
- Insightful? Bah! (Score:2)
  
  by hey! ( 33014 ) writes:
  
  <sarcasm>This is a huge government project to reverse a massive long term natural process. What's more, it is backed by the very politial and business interests whose practices accelerated the problem in the first place. The environmentalists should trust them this time.</sarcasm>
water pressure (Score:1)

by rppp01 ( 236599 ) writes:

In looking at the drawings of this project, I have to wonder how they will be able to hold back an entire sea. The pressure against those gates will be immense, and seeing as how they will be around 50 degrees in angle, how will they work long term? If they were to be lifted directly upwords at a perfect 90 degree angle, they would hold the water back....perhaps even turning them so that the angle is against the sea? This could let the waters help hold the gates up.
I imagine they will fail ultimately. I see a time, however, when Venice will be one of the first cities that is 'lifted' and uses technology to hold it above the waters- instead of pushing the waters away.
screw dat (Score:1)

by plutonium binky ( 596839 ) writes:

screw trying to unsink the city.
I say start bulding clear domes around it and then when it sinks, tourism rises! YA DUDE! who wouldn't pay to visit an underwater city, "modern atlantis" as someone put it.
So like, you could live under the sea and shit lioke in Sphere...wasn't everyone happy in that movie? like...till Queen Latifa got attacked by horny jellyfish and peter coyote cut doored to death...
aww the book was better anyhow.
-binky.
London had the same problem. But they fixed it. (Score:2)

by Animats ( 122034 ) writes:

The Thames Barrier [highway57.co.uk] was built in 1984 to deal with this problem. When necessary, which is about once or twice a year, huge gates are raised from the river bottom to block water surges up the Thames River.
Similar schemes have been proposed for Venice for decades, but the city hasn't been able to get its act together on a project.

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Scientists Try to Keep Venice Above the Waves 35

Scientists Try to Keep Venice Above the Waves More Login

Scientists Try to Keep Venice Above the Waves

Another Proublem (Score:2, Interesting)

Re:Another Problem (Score:1, Informative)

well whaddaya know.... (Score:1)

Re:well whaddaya know.... (Score:3, Interesting)

Yeah, but... (Score:4, Funny)

No problem, just go to Vegas (Score:2, Funny)

Better Moses than Joshua (Score:2, Informative)

Moses (Score:2, Funny)

The project is called MOSE (Score:3, Interesting)

Re:The project is called MOSE (Score:1)

Prolonging the inevitable (Score:3, Insightful)

Re:Prolonging the inevitable (Score:1)

Re:Prolonging the inevitable (Score:2)

Re:Prolonging the inevitable (Score:1)

Re:Prolonging the inevitable (Score:2)

Re:Prolonging the inevitable (Score:2)

There'll be some fabulous diving when I retire (Score:2)

Re:There'll be some fabulous diving when I retire (Score:2)

Obstructive environmentalists (Score:1, Insightful)

Insightful? Bah! (Score:2)

water pressure (Score:1)

screw dat (Score:1)

London had the same problem. But they fixed it. (Score:2)

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