The iconic Italian city of Venice has suffered from regular flooding events associated with tides and storms. Regular high-water events have disrupted everyday life and damaged many historic structures with increasing frequency over the last 50-plus years.
In 1987 the Magistrato alle Acqua initiated the MoSE project to protect the city from flooding and ensure the environmental health of the Venetian lagoon. MoSE includes a novel barrier system consisting of sets of buoyancy flap gates that stretch across the three tidal inlets that separate the lagoon from the sea. The gates reside below the seabed and pivot on a set of massive hinges. This remarkable engineering system minimizes the duration and impacts of tidal closures while limiting the maximum water elevation within the lagoon.
This lecture will describe the audacious engineering of the MoSE system, the challenges involved in its construction, and the essential role of maintenance. Since first activation of the system in October 2020, the barriers have been raised approximately 25 times per year. The effects of sea level rise are likely to increase the frequency of gate closures and adversely impact the health of the lagoon. This can be addressed in the short term through refinements in the current operating protocols but has the potential to limit the design life of the system.