Geomorphological Transformations of the Coastal Plain East of the Venice Lagoon (Italy) in the Last Centuries

This work describes the evolution of an area located in the coastal plain east of the Venice Lagoon (North Adriatic Sea, Italy). Its present setting is the result of both natural river avulsions and anthropogenic interventions carried out since the 13th century, including river diversions and land reclamation works, which were performed to drain the marshes that formed in territories lying below mean sea level. At present, flooding is prevented due to the presence of pumping stations and a dense network of canals and ditches with embankments that keep this area dry. The events that occurred in the last centuries were reconstructed through the analysis of multidisciplinary data and information, carried out using a Geographic Information System software. However, as data interpretation is still in progress, the present work mainly points out the contribution given by the joint analysis of historical maps available since the 14th century and aerial photographs. They gave the possibility to create evolutionary maps showing the conditions of the study area in different moments of the past, their relation with both natural and anthropogenic processes, and its transformation from wetland (until the 19th century) to cultivated and inhabited dry territory (since the first half of the 1900s). The results assume great importance in relation to coastal environmental issues mainly related to climate change and the consequent sea-level rise. In particular, the study area is a low-lying urbanized territory that benefits economically from farming. Owing to its land elevation, it can be considered a high-risk zone because it could be directly and significantly impacted by an increase in sea level in the next decades.