Anthropogenic Venice uplift by seawater pumping into a heterogeneous aquifer system

A novel anthropogenic uplift project in Venice, involving seawater injection into a deep brackish aquifer, demonstrates that even with heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity (K), the city's ground surface uplift remains significantly more uniform than historical or current deformation levels. Using Monte Carlo simulations and finite element modeling, researchers found that the maximum horizontal gradient of uplift (ρz) is 2–3 times smaller than gradients caused by past groundwater withdrawal in industrial areas and about 20 times less than current critical thresholds for multifloor masonry buildings. This study highlights the smoothing effect of overburden on uneven expansion, providing a more realistic assessment of uplift uniformity under variable K conditions.

Teatini, P., Ferronato, M., Gambolati, G., Baù, D., & Putti, M. (2010). Anthropogenic Venice uplift by seawater pumping into a heterogeneous aquifer system. Water Resources Research, 46(11). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010wr009161