DEACTIVATED BY M.O.S.E. Engineered Blue Urbanism in Venetian Lagoon Ankur Podder
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DEACTIVATED BY M.O.S.E. Engineered Blue Urbanism in Venetian Lagoon Ankur Podder
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Research Statement
Venetian Lagoon is the Universe to Venezia, as the main urban centers - like City of Veniceare spread across it, much like constellations. Developmental Activation has surged all across Venetian Lagoon - primarily fueled by tourism and fisheries industry. The inlets are no longer mere water-feeders, but have been formalized into essential nodes for wayfaring of tourists and logistics crucial to urban center. The inlets further perform the vital role of flush to direct more than 90% of the sewage dumped by urban centers into the Adriatic Sea [01]. This performative role ensures effective cleanliness of the Lagoonscape, thereby facilitating unhindered surface-activation for anthropocentric development.
01 Sewage Disposal, www. venipedia.org
In recent times, the Lagoonscape has become increasingly prone to flooding as a result of rising sea levels. As a responsive move towards resilience, the Italian Government is at verge of completion of technocratic capital-intensive M.O.S.E. mobile-flood-barrier-system. Ideally, this engineered solution would protect the urban centers and fuel hyper developmental activation all across the Lagoon. The technopolitical project provides a perspective through rose-tinted glasses of a secured and safe future for Venetians. Research identifies that the conversation for a resilient Venetian Lagoon is restricted to its surface, sprawled with human actors. Thus, the scholarship-based representational work aims to provide a paradigm perspective to currently broken dialogue between human and nonhuman actors, through empathetic lens of Blue Urbanism. Research primarily dives Podder | 3
02 Dvora Yanow, Interpretive Research: Characteristics and Criteria (2009)
into underwater realm of non-human actors (here: marine) and inquire extent to which biota and sewage flows would be hindered by mere presence of M.O.S.E. To justify the position and reveal a greater understanding of non-human actors, the research portrays a vital shift from surface to volume. The sectional representations help speculates a severing of ecotones across the Venetian Lagoon and blockage of sewage-flow, that would in-turn choke the very functioning of M.O.S.E., rendering it obsolete. While the methodology of the research is interpretive [02] and speculative, primary aim of the body of work is to fuel discourse on urbanism where non-human actors are elevated to a pivotal role. This would, hopefully, call for reconsideration of irreversible technocratic projects around resilience in the Venetian Lagoon, and in the world at large. Lagoonscape Urbanism
As one of the ancient and most significant estuarine lagoons, the Venetian Lagoon embodies a transitional environment comprising of partly saline characteristic as well as fresher sediments due to the proximity to coastal waters and the influence of freshwater, respectively.
03 Finite difference grid of the Venice Lagoon. The grid size is 600 m. Darker shades show deeper areas - defined as the Inlets and the water channels. Source: (Adapted from Volpi and Sguazzero, 1977). Modelling the Venice Lagoon (G. UMGIESSER); p178, International Journal of Salt Lake Research
The distinctiveness of the largest Mediterranean lagoon lies not just in its innate characteristics but also its dynamic physical features [03]. Where 75% of the lagoon area consists of a depth shallower than 2 m, about 5% has a depth greater than 5 m. Although the mean depth of the Lagoon floats around 1.5 m, a few areas with depth of over 30 m can also be found. This variation in depth is accompanied by the presence of tidal flats, shoals and salt marshes that make up about 80% of the area, whereas the network of channels covers about 11%. The coastal water body undergoes a Hydrodynamic Regime where barrier islands are formed as a result of the movement of waves. These waves carry along sediments, the deposition of which leads to the formation of sandy barrier islands. Another notable feature of the Lagoon of Venice is its system of inlets, i.e., narrow water passages
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that create a connection between the Lagoon and the open sea. The Lagoon consists of three inlets, namely, Lido, Chioggia and Malamocco inlet. Apart from allowing an exchange of underwater substances, these inlets also facilitate water transportation for commercial and industrial purposes. Apart from being situated next to a rising sea, urban centers of Venetian Lagoon has been subsiding all her life due to both natural and manmade causes. The main cause leading to land subsidence in Venice is the shifting of plate tectonics, as tectonic movement cause thrusting of the Alps in the north and the Apennine ranges in the south. In the last hundred years, the Venetian land has sunk about 23 cm. Developmental Activation
Ever since the 16th century, Venice and its surroundings have undergone the process of land reclamation i.e. the adding or filling and thus creating new land from the ocean or another such source of water [04]. The Lagoon of Venice consists of many small islands that are entirely artificial and even some areas of the seaport of central Venice are originally reclaimed islands. Recently, numerous projects for reclaiming land around the edges of the Lagoon have been underway, thus intruding with the passage of saltwater. Venetian Lagoon is the Universe to Venezia, as the main urban centers are spread across, much like constellations. Since time immemorial, loss of land has been characteristic to the very formation of this depositional - transitional environment. The Lagoon’s presence enables a hydrodynamic regime for the urban centres and their needs for activation, fed by Adriatic Sea through Lagoon inlets that were naturally formed and kept sinking further [05]. Age of Eustatism
As our coastal cities are becoming the biggest victims of eustatism [06], an urban space as significant – in historic, economic and ecologic terms – as the Venetian Lagoon could use such
04 Painting depicting “Marriage of the Adriatic” Source: By Canaletto, (1730AD)
05 Luigi Tosi, Natural versus anthropogenic subsidence of Venice (Institute of Marine Sciences, National Research Council, Arsenale - Tesa 104, Castello 2737/F, 30122 Venezia, Italy, 2013) 06 eustatism: worldwide changes in sea level, caused by the melting of ice sheets, movements of the ocean floor, sedimentation, etc.; coined by Austrian geologist Edward Suess (1831-1914) Podder | 5
an inclusive and sustainable alternative.
07 Yearly average sea levels from tide gauges of Venice compared with that of Trieste over the period between 1896 and 2007. Source: The impact of relative sea level rise on the Northern Adriatic Sea coast, Italy (L. Carbognin); p144, Management of Natural Resources, Sustainable Development and Ecological Hazards II
08 Timothy Mitchell, Rule of Experts (Columbia University, 2002)
09 Mimi Zeiger, “Resiliency” Has Lost Its Meaning: Why We Need a More Radical Approach (2017), www.metropolismag.com/architecture/resiliency-climate-change-cities
The Lagoonscape has become increasingly prone to more flooding as a result of rising sea levels in the wake of global warming. Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology recent released a climate change report with the prediction that all urban centers across Venetian Lagoon will wholly submerge underwater in less than hundred years due to the rise of about 140 cm in the Mediterranean Sea level. The 5’ rise in sea level will also flood much of the North Adriatic coastline. In comparison to these numbers, the sea levels have risen a mere 30 cm in the last thousand years. Venice is no stranger to floods. Acqua Alta – which refers to the gigantic tides are formed in the northern Adriatic Sea by moon’s gravitational pulls coincide with the strong scirocco wind of the Mediterranean to flood parts of Venice and Chioggia [07]. As for a technocratic response, flood barriers form an age-old desired solution. This is especially true for the capitalism approach layered by techno-politics [08]. The powers of the techno-science makes empathetic resilient measures look obsolete. Getting people to adjust to climate realities is challenging. We assume that planning regulations and zoning are in place to protect us. Yet the market often pushes development precariously into potentially hazardous areas, betting on a 100- or 500-year probability [09]. Thus, the gigantic flood barriers promise a one-time-saves-all solution, that are designed to prevent a spring tide or storm surge from flooding the area protected on the other side of the barrier - in our case, the Venetian Lagoon. The Italian Government, to utter dismay of strategic adaptive resilience projects in urbanism, has looked no further than this parochial view. The Thing: M.O.S.E.
Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico / M.O.S.E. is the infrastructural megaproject with the aim to protect the Ventian Lagoon 6
from acqua alta flooding. An integrated system of 78 mobile barriers is being constructed at the Lagoon’s three inlets, the Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia in order to separate the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea when tidal levels rise. According to M.O.S.E., the system will be able to prevent floods with tides as high as 3 metres, protecting the city and the lagoon for the next hundred years or more. The project construction was initiated in 2003 and is currently in its final stage [10]. Need for M.O.S.E. first arose due to 76” tide in 1966 that flooded the entire region. Further, Special Law for Venice established need to safeguard the Lagoonscape by effective sea defense system. This was under Priority National Interest. Once Consorzio Venezia Nuova was created, managing material flow (matter-stream) and sourcing tech know-how became imperative [11]. Between 1988 - 1992, conceptual designs were tested. The capital flow originated from a total investment for constructing the M.O.S.E. Project is estimated at $8.8bn. CIPE (Interministerial Committee for Economic Programming) financed the project in three instalments, of $568m, $896m and $480m respectively, in November 2002, September 2004 and March 2006.In addition, CIPE financed $307m in August 2007, $505m in January 2008, $1bn in December 2008, $290m in November 2010 and $758m in December 2011. The remaining funds required for the project will be looked after by the Committee for Policy, Coordination and Control (Comitatone) [12].
10 M.O.S.E. project Italy : Immersion of the Chioggia Flood Barrier Caissons Source: p4, Proceedings of the World Tunnel Congress 2014 – Tunnels for a better Life at Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.
11 Client - Consorzio Venezia Nuova: Equity joint venture Consortium- specifically formed for this project.
12 Client’s Customers - Italian Government through the Ministry for Infrastructure and Transport.
An Engineered Paradigm
The project, taking cues from precedents from around the globe, clearly involves major construction sites deployed on Venetian inlets that comprise a highly delicate environment. As shown in the figure, the barriers are being constructed at the three lagoon inlets – Lido, Chioggia and Malamocco. The Lido inlet has two rows of flap gates, 21 gates make up the Podder | 7
barrier of Lido and 20 gates constitute the barrier of South Lido. 18 gates are being constructed on Chioggia inlet and 19 gates are being installed at the Malamocco inlet.
13 M.O.S.E. official website mosevenezia.eu
The Venice Arsenal used to be a complex housing boatyards and armouries. Before the onset of Industrial Revolution, this arsenal was the largest industrial complex in all Europe. The medieval shipyard has thus been restored and is the location of the office of Consorzio Venezia Nuova, the engineering group behind M.O.S.E. Project, which is also working for full restoration and refunctioning of the arsenal and its buildings. Being a symbol of industrial prowess of Venice at the peak of its glory, it seems only fitting that the place will now contain a concentration of advanced technologies and instruments for sea defence and environmental protection and will become a centre of pioneering research and innovation in technology, as part of the M.O.S.E. Project [13]. The Arsenal is also the location for the control room where key decisions regarding computerised systems for forecasting high waters, warning systems and lowering/raising of barriers, are to be taken. The testing of these operating and control systems has been underway for quite some time now. To examine its performance in reproducing hydraulic effects for virtually raising flap gates, the Control Centre has been operational in the Venice Arsenal’s Forecasting and Models System Centre for the last six years. Blue Urbanism
14 A sea life mural alongside a parking lot in New Orleans provides an unexpected reminder that we live on a blue planet. Source: By Tim Beatley; p11, Blue Urbanism - Exploring Connections between Cities and Oceans (2014) 8
Trends of urban planning even today exclude water bodies from city planning. Blue Urbanism is the idea that combats this traditional viewpoint and emphasizes on the urgent need to employ inclusivity to reach sustainability [14]. The term indicates that the urban space of a city must be planned in accordance with its oceans, so that both the terrestrial and the marine combine into a new form of urbanism. As our coastal cities are becoming the biggest victims of eustatism, an urban space as significant – in
historic, economic and ecologic terms – as the Venetian Lagoon could use such an inclusive and sustainable alternative. To fundamentally understand Blue Urbanism and bring closer the dichotomy between human and non-human (here: marine) actors, it is vital to look at various ecotones existing across the Lagoonscape. Blue Urbanism embraces the binary of “us” (human actors) and “them” (non-human actors), and recommends creating a conversation of ecotones [15]. Unfortunately for the non-human actors of the Venetian Lagoon- and the handful of humans who care- the technocratic flood barrier M.O.S.E. lends no ear to the empathetic discourse of Blue Urbanism. Thus, the next half of this body of research work would dive into unravelling the hushed end of a broken dialogue between “us” and “them”.
15 The Ecological Implications of Climate Change on Lagoon of Venice. Source: p11, Publication, UNESCO Venice + ISMAR-CNR (2011)
Surface to Volume
To move beyond Anthropocentric perspective of Urbanism, it is essential to understand the larger ecosystem and intangible connections across Venetian Lagoon. M.O.S.E.’s inclusion in this metabolism creates specific disturbances in the natural flows, especially in marine life [16]. This starts to tell a completely different story than the development-based picture the controlled surface of lagoon paints for us. According to Franck Billé: “From the Arctic to the South China Sea, states are vying to secure sovereign rights over vast maritime stretches, undersea continental plates, shifting ice floes, and aerial volumes. Until recently these threedimensional spaces were seen as beyond effective political control: the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea only came into force in 1994, and there is still no international legal agreement on the vertical extent of sovereign airspace. While the three-dimensional nature of property law has a long genealogy (see Banner 2008), for decades it remained a theoretical issue. The first legal attempts to territorialize aerial, maritime, and subterranean spaces only emerged through transformative technologies
16 Geological characterization of the subsurface of the Venice coastland. (a) West–east seismic section of the Pleistocene sequence down to 1000 m depth; (b) hydrogeologic section of the multiaquifer system. Source: p346, Understanding the hydrogeology of the Venice Lagoon subsurface with airborne electromagnetics (P. Teatini), Journal of Hydrology (2011)
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17 Franck BillĂŠ, Speaking Volumes (2017), culanth.org/ fieldsights/1247-speaking-volumes
18 Pollution and Eutrophication in Venetian Lagoon. Source: p818, Wal. Sci. Tech. Vol. 19 (R. Cossu)
that made it possible to control, colonize, and populate beyond-the-human worlds previously considered asocial (Schmitt 2003)� [17]. Thus, it is crucial to take a step back and understand the Lagoon ecosystem as a connected organism, rather than the superficial surface. This is the first step in inquiring into a possibility of Blue Urbanism, not merely anthropocentric. A metabolism diagram presents naturalized activity. What it fails to capture is revealed once we flip the perspective to sectional/volumetric and discover the Underwater Realm. Pressures of waste and sewage on the Geosphere of Venetian Lagoon in the advent of M.O.S.E., specific to Lido Inlet leads to redundancy of M.O.S.E. itself. When M.O.S.E. is not raised up to be operational, circulation of biota and surface wastes (both vegetation and sewage) continues. Moments when the need for M.O.S.E. to be fully operational is ever increasing, as evident with trends of Sea Level Rise. At this constantly occurring scenario at the Lido Inlet, the circulation of wates and biota gets drastically hindered [18]. This would lead to heavy accumulation at the hyper adjacent zones. The build-up gradually enters the functioning systems of M.O.S.E. - a situation that adds to overgrowing costs behind the project because of high maintenance. NO-M.O.S.E. - The Irreversible Step
M.O.S.E. has faced scrutiny and strict opposition from numerous environmentalists and green politicians. However, even after setbacks and frictions, the project is all set to be fully functional by next year. 19 A demonstration from the movement by Environmentalists and Green Politicians at Chioggia construction site Source: Reuters
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Protests by activists such as NO-M.O.S.E. have become routinely [19]. Showing a blind eye to such movements in the periphery, the mobile barriers are set to ignore the ecosystem of the Lagoonscape. The future, one can speculate, holds a hyper developmental activation scenario purely on the surface of the Lagoon, while the underwater realm dies in despair.
However, metabolism processes and human’s role in the biosphere [20] tells us that the implications might not be like how Venetians would desire through their rose-tinted glasses. At a regional level, Venetian Lagoon undergoes drastic changes in salinity levels, leading to death and migration of biota. Sewage pressure from urban centers flock into the waters leading to algae blooms. With high frequency of use, M.O.S.E. begins to choke the entire Lagoon thereby deactivating the surface too - that was once envisioned as activated waterbody through developmental values. Those functions - including Lagoon tourism - cease completely. As predicted, by 2035, transitional environment of the Lagoon that lives on renewal chokes due to pollution.
20 MAB Programme, UNESCO (1971), www.unesco.org/ new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/ man-and-biosphere-programme
Research Conclusion
Since the Special Law of Venice was formulated in 1966, the M.O.S.E. project has come a long way. The research doesn’t conclude with a call for complete abandonment of M.O.S.E. The massive capital and matter investment asserts the dire need for a solution of this scale at the face of Sea Level Rise - as the project is, as we speak, at its final stages. Thus, embracing the fact that the project will function fully and tripartite system of Capital-Tech-Material flows would further feed across the Lagoonscape, the research injects imperative inclusion of nonhuman actors in this transitional environment. The inquiry-based step is contextually relevant as the historic urban centers are located all across the Venetian Lagoon, making them intertwined part of a larger system.
21 A cruise ship in Venice lagoon is seen looming over the city’s streets. Source: Reuters
Through an interpretive lens, the research concludes by elevating non-human actors to a pedestal of vitality in the discourse of urbanism. M.O.S.E. engineered lynch-pin intends to aggravate tourism in the newly gated Venetian Lagoon. With restricted tidal flows, controlled surface of the Lagoonscape would turn into a dystopian sewage bowl, thereby putting an end to visionary disneylandification opportunities that are today loudy heard among Podder | 11
the perspective from surface to volume, the research has thus potentially revealed the dearth of empathetic resilience tools in this age of eustatism. The motive is to, hopefully, call for reconsideration of irreversible technocratic projects around resilience in the Venetian Lagoon, and in the world at large. Current methodologies and conversations around the future condition of Venetian Lagoon in the presence of heightened functioning of M.O.S.E. is totally siloed. The research conclusively reiterates Bruno Latours’s words in ‘Visualisation and Cognition: Drawing Things Together’: Afterall, “There is nothing you can dominate as easily as a flat surface of a few square meters; there is nothing hidden or convoluted, no shadows, no double entendre.” Vesting upon the strength in dynamic representational tools, the research identifies volumetric (or sectional) perspective of the Venetian Lagoon as the apt frame of inquiry. This is moving away from the metabolism diagram that presents naturalizes ecosystem activity and conditions of ecotones. What it fails to capture is revealed once we flip the perspective and discover the Underwater Realm. The research further draws conclusion by zooming out of the Inlet-oriented scale to a much regional level, proving through speculative drawings that trends of blockage and redundancy would spread across the entire Lagoonscape. At this regional level, Venetian Lagoon undergoes drastic changes in salinity levels, leading to death and migration of biota in the next 10 years of M.O.S.E.’s operation. Sewage pressure from urban centers would flock into the waters leading to algae blooms (this phenomenon still occurs, but under constant renewal-based control). With high frequency of usage, M.O.S.E. would begin to choke entire Lagoon thereby deactivating the surface too - that was once envisioned as an activated waterbody serving anthropocentric developmental values. Lagoon tourism and fisheries industries would cease to operate completely. As predicted through this research work, by 2035, transitional environment of the 12
Venetian Lagoon chokes due to severed ecotones and over-pollution. Bibliography and References
1. Modelling the Venice Lagoon (G. UMGIESSER) // International Journal of Salt Lake Research, 1997 2. The impact of relative sea level rise on the Northern Adriatic Sea coast, Italy (L. Carbognin) // Management of Natural Resources, Sustainable Development and Ecological Hazards II, 2009 3. MOSE project Italy : Immersion of the Chioggia Flood Barrier Caissons // Proceedings of the World Tunnel Congress 2014 – Tunnels for a better Life at Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. 4. The Ecological Implications of Climate Change on Lagoon of Venice // Publication, UNESCO Venice + ISMAR-CNR, 2011 5. Blue Urbanism - Exploring Connections between Cities and Oceans // Tim Beatley, 2014 6. Understanding the hydrogeology of the Venice Lagoon subsurface with airborne electromagnetics (P. Teatini) // Journal of Hydrology, 2011 7. I-storm - International Network for Storm Surge Barriers // European Climate Adaptation Platform, 2006 8. Billé, Franck. “Speaking Volumes.” Theorizing the Contemporary, Cultural Anthropology website, October 24, 2017. culanth.org/fieldsights/1247-speaking-volumes 9. Rule of Experts // Timothy Mitchell, 2002 10. Visualisation and Cognition: Drawing Things Together // Bruno Latour, 1990 11. M.O.S.E. official // mosevenezia.eu
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Imagining Safe-Proofed Lagoonscape [Below] A speculative visual of choked Venetian Lagoon from the perspective of the Rising Sea - the antagonist. The non-human actors, severed away by M.O.S.E. flood barrier, look across at the Safe and Happy City of Venice. The sky however - narrates a tale of an impending storm.
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Lagoon Form [Opposite] The Venetian Lagoon is the result of the land subsidence and sea level rise, since time immemorial. Thus, one can infer birth of the Lagoon as directly linked to natural elements that are still under constant interplay. Constellation of Urban Centers [Below] The inlets are no longer mere water-feeders but have been urbanized into essential nodes for wayfaring of tourists and logistics crucial to urban centers especially the City of Venice. The performative role ensures the effective cleanliness of the Lagoonscape, thereby facilitating unhindered surface-activation for anthropocentric development.
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Tripartite Flows [Below] Before fixating to the location, M.O.S.E.’s story of creation needs to be told. Essentially, the graphic conveys a tripartite system of Capital-Tech-Material, and all the actors involved in getting the system running. There is an innate collaboration between private and public entities. The massive capital and matter investment asserts the dire need for a solution of this scale at the face of Sea Level Rise - as the project is, as we speak, at its final stages.
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Managerial Inlet-zones [Below] Naturally occurring inlets have been strategically curated into construction sites. The three inlets attain defined forms. The Venice Arsenal remotely operates the M.O.S.E. barrier using GPS and advanced signal processing. As the barriers start getting fixated, the hydrodynamic regime gradually disappears leading to a static managerial surface.
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Eustatism Responsive [Opposite] One of the major moves against sea level rise have always been Flood Barriers and Mobile Gates. I-STORM’s presence is testimony to the global importance of such engineering marvels. The fixation of each of these “Things” to the waterbody severs the zone, creating a binary of blues- of protected and thereby the developmentally activated as well as the demarcating the Sea as the antagonist. Venn-Activation Diagram [Below] The grey zone marked by “ THE THING“ is of particular importance due to hyper-adjacency. This leads to hyper developmental activation on surface of the Lagoonscape.
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Developmental Activation [Below] This is a speculative visual of possible surge in development across the Lagoonscape once M.O.S.E. is up and running. Here, the Lagoon side of Lido Inlet is heavily activated in developmental terms. Questions now loom - Is this what M.O.S.E. has set out to achieve? Do the historic urban centers across the Lagoon start looking like any other city on Earth?
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Lagoon-sphere Metabolism [Below] The diagram helps understand larger ecosystem and connections that are intangible across Venetian Lagoon. M.O.S.E.’s inclusion in this metabolism creates specific disturbances in the natural fl`ows. This starts to tell a completely different story than the development-based picture the controlled surface of lagoon paints for us. Here, one can notice the strict dichotomy of “us”- the human actors and “them”- the non-human actors.
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Interpretive Scenario 1 [Below] Pressures of bio-waste and sewage on the geosphere of Venetian Lagoon in presence of M.O.S.E. at Lido Inlet. When M.O.S.E. is not raised up to be operational, circulation of biota and surface wastes (both vegetation and sewage) continues. A fourstep generic diagram further portrays the behaviour of ecotones, ultimately leading to redundancy of M.O.S.E. itself.
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Interpretive Scenario 2 [Below] Amid constantly occurring scenario of heightened use of M.O.S.E. at the Lido Inlet, circulation of waste and biota gets drastically hindered. This would lead to heavy accumulation at the hyper adjacent zones. A diagrammatic representation of increasing frequency for use of M.O.S.E. is based on growing number of flood occurrences with exponential trends of Sea Level Rise.
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Regional Despair [Below] At regional level, Venetian Lagoon undergoes drastic changes in salinity levels, leading to death and migration of biota. Sewage pressure from urban centers flock into the waters leading to algae blooms. The diagram clearly entails that mere presence of M.O.S.E. chokes the Lagoon, thereby making any prospects for hyper developmental activation of surface moribund and futile.
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