Venice: Rising water or sinking land?

Abstract

The recent paper by Bellafiore, Ghezzo, Tagliapietra and Umgiesser [1] gives us the opportunity to discuss the relative sea level rise in Venice (Venezia). They accept that the Venetian sea level rise will be part of a global rise caused by ocean thermal expansion and melting of icecaps caused in turn by global warming induced by anthropogenic carbon dioxide production. In reality the sea levels have been only oscillating during the last few decades. The worldwide average sea level rise is free of any acceleration. This is also true for the Venice and Trieste tide gauges. The sea level records of Venice and Trieste are very different, and it is impossible for two places so close together to have such differences from a common rise in sea level. Venice is sinking relative to Trieste.