Relative land subsidence in the Lagoon of Venice, Italy, at the beginning of the new millennium

Venetian land subsidence, both natural and due to groundwater withdrawal, and eustasy have caused 23 cm of ground elevation reduction referred to the mean sea level over the last 100 years. This relative elevation loss has been vital for Venice's existence, in as much as Venice lives in the water. After a short overview of the phenomenon during the past decades, the actual trend is analysed by combining high precision levelling, remote sensing measurements and tide gauge records. Geodetic and SAR data evidence the present ground stability of the central part of the lagoon, where the city of Venice is located, and slight sinking trends at the northern and southern extremities of the lagoon edges and at some places in the central and northern littorals. At the same time the latest tide gauge records indicate a renewal in the sea level rising trend.