Monitoring and Modeling Tidally Induced Pore-Pressure Oscillations in the Soil of St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 5
Abstract
Sea level rise and high tide events are threatening many coastal cities, which require adequate and sustainable protection measures. The historic city centre of Venice (Italy) is often flooded during very high tide events, especially the area of St. Mark’s Island, which is at the lowest elevation among all the islands forming the city. To design cost-effective protection interventions to safeguard the historical heritage, a deep understanding of flooding mechanisms and the relationship between groundwater pressure and tidal oscillations is necessary. Geotechnical survey and analyses play an important role in this process. This paper presents the results of a recent monitoring campaign carried out in St. Mark’s Island. A simplified one-dimensional analytical model was derived for saturated conditions to understand the key parameters that govern tidal induced pressure oscillations in soil (material properties, geometrical features, and wave properties). Additional features, such as partially saturated soil conditions and two-dimensional effects, were investigated numerically. Results showed that significant pressure oscillations occur in the subsoil, which should not be neglected when considering the stability of horizontal architectural structures, such as the historical mosaics and paving. However, seepage flow rate is small, and thus its impact on the drainage system is limited in terms of water discharge.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Consorzio Venezia Nuova [Prot. N. 14224 UGA/VA, 30/11/2018]. The authors thank the companies belonging to the Consortium Kostruttiva, in particular Mate Eng. and Thetis, and the colleagues of ICEA Department for the fruitful discussions regarding the flood protection of St. Mark’s Square.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 5 • May 2021
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 20, 2020
Accepted: Oct 20, 2020
Published online: Feb 23, 2021
Published in print: May 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jul 23, 2021
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