Venice Sinking
The city of Venice is unmatched in its original beauty, with elegant stone buildings and streets paved with water. But the city so far is not withstanding the test of time: the rising water levels are slowly overtaking Venice, and the city is sinking at a rate of 2 1/2 inches per decade.

Venice was founded in the year 421, in a lagoon on the edge of the Adriatic Sea. When construction first began, the water level was sixteen feet lower than it is today. The water level of the area has been rising very slowly over the past centuries, but the speed has increased in the past one hundred years, and is continuing to rise at an alarming rate. If it continues as it is now, many of the walkways and ground-level floors of buildings will be filled with water by the year 2055.

A lot of this problem stems from the fact that the city was not built on a sturdy enough foundation. The city was originally built over a cluster of small islands, and in the parts to be built over the water the workers drove wooden poles deep into the water and soft earth below until it hit the hard bottom. This bottom is not very solid, however, as it is simply a layer of packed sand and clay. On top of the these poles oak planks, marble and stone were laid to make the flat foundation for the city. As the city has been built up, the incredible weight has slowly been pushing the poles deeper into the mushy sea floor. In addition, the hundreds of wells throughout the city have been removing water from aquifers, which when deflated, have caused the city to sink even faster. Not only are these two problems severe, but the actual water level of the sea is also rising due to global warming and environmental damage. This unique combination of elements are slowly but surely driving one of the world's most beautiful cities to a watery death.

While the Venetians have always been aware of this problem, it wasn't until an extremely heavy rainfall caused major flooding and damage to the city in 1966 that they began to take action. In 1970 a plan was devised for the construction of three gates and a series of dykes to control the water, but lack of money and action halted the project for years. Finally in 2001 'Project Moses' was put into gear, which will see 79 steel gates constructed on the ocean floor in the three inlets in the lagoon. When the water level rises to alarming heights, the gates will float to the surface, forming a dam that will be high enough to hold back a significant amount of water.

Unfortunately, this project has been experiencing numerous stalls and drawbacks, and it will be finished in 2009 at the very earliest. Lets hope that this project succeeds, so that one of Europe's most glorious and beautiful cities will remain high and dry well into the future.