Morphodynamic and sedimentary processes in salt-marshes and tidal channels of the Venice Lagoon (Italy)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1.2) ◽  
pp. 1-35
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Ghinassi ◽  
Andrea D'Alpaos ◽  
Alvise Finotello ◽  
Sonia Silvestri ◽  
Elena Bellizia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Venice Lagoon ◽  
Tidal Channels ◽  
Sedimentary Processes

scholarly journals Unravelling interactions between salt marsh evolution and sedimentary processes in the Wadden Sea (southeastern North Sea)

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 691-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Schuerch ◽  
Tobias Dolch ◽  
Karsten Reise ◽  
Athanasios T. Vafeidis
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Wadden Sea ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Morphological Development ◽  
Tidal Channels ◽  
Sedimentary Processes ◽  
Coastal Plant ◽  
Global Sea Level

Salt marshes in the Wadden Sea constitute about 20% of all salt marshes along European coasts. They are of immense importance for coastal protection reasons and as habitat for coastal plant, bird, and invertebrate species. The Wadden Sea is a coastal sedimentary ecosystem in the southeastern North Sea. Besides salt marshes, it is composed of tidal flats, high sands, and sandy shoals, dissected by (sub)tidal channels and located behind barrier islands. Accelerated global sea-level rise (SLR) and changes in storm climate have been identified as possible threats for the persistence of the Wadden Sea ecosystem including its salt marshes. Moreover, it is known that the amount and composition of the sediment available for salt marshes are the most important parameters influencing their ability to adapt to current and future SLR. Assessing these parameters requires a thorough understanding of the sedimentary system of the salt marshes and the adjacent tidal basins. In the present review, we investigate and unravel the interactions of sedimentary processes in the Wadden Sea with the processes taking place on the salt marshes. We identify the most crucial processes and interactions influencing the morphological development of salt marshes in the Wadden Sea. A conceptual model is proposed, intended as a framework for improved understanding of salt marsh development and for incorporation into new salt marsh models. The proposed model may also be applicable to regions other than the Wadden Sea.

scholarly journals Coupled thermohydromechanical analysis of Venice lagoon salt marshes

2008 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simonetta Cola ◽  
Lorenzo Sanavia ◽  
Paolo Simonini ◽  
Bernhard A. Schrefler
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Venice Lagoon

scholarly journals Intertwined eco-morphodynamic evolution of salt marshes and tidal channels cutting through them

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Geng ◽  
Andrea D'Alpaos ◽  
Alessandro Sgarabotto ◽  
Zheng Gong ◽  
Stefano Lanzoni
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Tidal Channels ◽  
Morphodynamic Evolution

scholarly journals Land Subsidence in Coastal Environments: Knowledge Advance in the Venice Coastland by TerraSAR-X PSI

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Tosi ◽  
Cristina Lio ◽  
Pietro Teatini ◽  
Tazio Strozzi
Keyword(s):  
Land Subsidence ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Venice Lagoon ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Persistent Scatterer Interferometry ◽  
Ground Movements ◽  
Driving Mechanisms ◽  
Very High Spatial Resolution ◽  
Under Construction ◽  
German Aerospace

The use of satellite SAR interferometric methods has significantly improved the monitoring of ground movements over the last decades, thus opening new possibilities for a more accurate interpretation of land subsidence and its driving mechanisms. TerraSAR-X has been extensively used to study land subsidence in the Venice Lagoon, Italy, with the aim of quantifying the natural and anthropogenic causes. In this paper, we review and update the main results achieved by three research projects supported by DLR AOs (German Aerospace Center Announcement of Opportunity) and conducted to test the capability of TerraSAR-X PSI (Persistent Scatterer Interferometry) to detect ground movements in the complex physiographic setting of the Venice transitional coastal environment. The investigations have been focused on the historical center of Venice, the lagoon inlets where the MoSE is under construction, salt marshes, and newly built-up areas in the littoral. PSI on stacks of stripmap TerraSAR-X images covering short- to long-time periods (i.e., the years 2008–2009, 2008–2011 and 2008–2013) has proven particularly effective to measure land subsidence in the Venice coastland. The very high spatial resolution (3 m) and the short repeat time interval (11 days) of the TerraSAR-X acquisitions make it possible to investigate ground movements with a detail unavailable in the past. The interferometric products, properly calibrated, allowed for a millimetric vertical accuracy of the land movements at both the regional and local scales, even for short-term analyses, i.e., spanning one year only. The new picture of the land movement resulted from processing TerraSAR-X images has significantly contributed to update the knowledge on the subsidence process at the Venice coast.

Seafloor morphology and habitats of tidal channels in the Venice Lagoon, Italy tidal channel habitats

2020 ◽  
pp. 187-198
Author(s):  
Fantina Madricardo ◽  
Giacomo Montereale-Gavazzi ◽  
Marco Sigovini ◽  
Aleksandra Kruss ◽  
Carlotta Toso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Venice Lagoon ◽  
Tidal Channel ◽  
Tidal Channels ◽  
Seafloor Morphology

Venice lagoon salt marsh vulnerability and halophytic vegetation vertical migration in response to sea level rise

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhicheng Yang ◽  
Sonia Silvestri ◽  
Marco Marani ◽  
Andrea D’Alpaos
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Venice Lagoon ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Vegetation Species

<p>Salt marshes are biogeomorphic systems that provide important ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and prevention of coastal erosion. These ecosystems are, however, threatened by increasing sea levels and human pressure. Improving current knowledge of salt-marsh response to changes in the environmental forcing is a key step to understand and predict salt-marsh evolution, especially under accelerated sea level rise scenarios and increasing human pressure. Towards this goal, we have analyzed field observations of marsh topographic changes and halophytic vegetation distribution with elevation collected over 20 years (between 2000 and 2019) in a representative marsh in the Venice lagoon (Italy).</p><p>Our results suggest that: 1) on average, marsh elevation with respect to local mean sea level decreased , (i.e. the surface accretion rate was lower than the rate of sea level rise); 2) elevational frequency distributions are characteristic for different halophytic vegetation species, highlighting different ecological realized niches that change in time; 3) although the preferential elevations at which different species have changed in time, the sequence of vegetation species with increasing soil elevation was preserved and simply shifted upward; 4) we observed different vegetation migration rates for the different species, suggesting that the migration process is species-specific. In particular, vegetation species colonizing marsh edges (Juncus and Inula) migrated faster facing to changes in sea levels than Limonium and Spartina , while Sarcocornia was characterized by delayed migration in response to sea level changes. These results bear significant implications for long-term biogeomorphic evolution of tidal environments.</p>

scholarly journals Biochemical characterization of some cyanobacterial strains from salt marshes of the Venice Lagoon

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 273-278
Author(s):  
A. A. Sfriso ◽  
D. Marchetto ◽  
M. Gallo ◽  
F. Baldi
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Venice Lagoon

scholarly journals Editorial

2018 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 69-70
Author(s):  
Ad J.F. van der Spek ◽  
Niels van den Berg
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Wadden Sea ◽  
Barrier Islands ◽  
Natural Process ◽  
Tidal Channels ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
The North ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
A Chain

The Wadden Sea region spans a distance of nearly 500km along the North Sea coast from the Netherlands to Denmark. It consists of a chain of barrier islands which shelter an area of extensive intertidal flats and salt marshes that are dissected by tidal channels and creeks. Moreover, several estuaries are part of this area which is known for its intriguing morphodynamics. The natural process of continuous erosion, transport and deposition of sediment shapes the morphology of the area, which has a high ecological value, especially the intertidal morphology that supports a wide range of wildlife.

Characterization of organic matter decomposition in the Venice Lagoon using the Tea Bag Index

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Puppin ◽  
Marcella Roner ◽  
Alvise Finotello ◽  
Massimiliano Ghinassi ◽  
Laura Tommasini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Venice Lagoon ◽  
Organic Matter Decomposition ◽  
Tea Bag Index ◽  
Decomposition Processes ◽  
Surface Accretion

<p>Salt-marsh evolution importantly depends on complex feedbacks between hydrodynamic, morphological, and biological processes. These crucial ecogeomorphic structures support a diverse range of ecosystem services, including coastal protection and biodiversity increase. In addition, they are among the most carbon‐rich ecosystems on Earth, as their high primary production coupled with rapid surface accretion results into the ability to sequester atmospheric carbon at high rates. However, salt-marsh future is at risk today, due to the effects of climate changes and local anthropogenic disturbances, in particular sea-level rise and reduced fluvial sediment delivery to the coasts. The organic matter captured and stored by salt marshes results from the balance between inputs and outputs and may contribute to marsh surface accretion, which determines their ability to keep pace with sea-level rise. Therefore, a better understanding of the processes regulating organic matter dynamics on salt marshes is a critical step to elucidate their carbon sink potential and to address salt-marsh management and conservation issues. Toward this goal, we analysed organic matter decomposition processes within salt-marsh ecosystems by burying 712 commercially available tea bags within different marshes in the Venice Lagoon (Italy), following the Tea Bag Index protocol. The process provides the values of two key parameters: the decomposition rate (k) and litter stabilisation factor (S). Based on standardized litter bag experiments, the Tea Bag Index focuses on the effects of abiotic conditions, neglecting litter-quality influences. The mean values of the decomposition metrics from our analyses are in general consistent with previous results and indicate a quite fast decomposition of the organic matter with a remaining mass of about 34% of the initial labile mass after 90 days. We next explore the possible dependence of k and S on environmental drivers. Temperature showed the most significant relationship with decomposition processes, suggesting an organic-matter decay acceleration with warming temperature, in line with previous literature. Moreover, the statistical analysis indicated some significant trends of the decomposition rate also with surface elevation and distance from the marsh edge. This suggests that, at the marsh scale, higher and probably less frequently flooded sites are exposed to faster decomposition, likely due to greater oxygen availability enhancing microbial respiration. In conclusion, the organic matter decay we observed is rapid enough to consume all the labile material before it can be buried and stabilized, hence increased global temperatures may not have a significant effect in increasing organic matter decomposition in coastal marshes. Therefore, we argue that, at least in the short term, the remaining mass of the organic matter contributing to carbon sequestration and marsh accretion, strongly depends on the initial litter quality, recalcitrant or labile, which may differ considerably between different species and plant parts and may be affected by climate change effects.</p>

Disturbance of sedimentary processes in tidal salt marshes invaded by exotic vegetation

2021 ◽  
pp. 149303
Author(s):  
Sun Min Choi ◽  
Jun Young Seo ◽  
Seong Woon Jeong ◽  
Moo Joon Lee ◽  
Ho Kyung Ha
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Sedimentary Processes ◽  
Exotic Vegetation
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