99150 - INTEGRATED FIELD AND LABORATORY COURSE

Learning outcomes

The fieldwork, performed at the end of the first year, is a truly interdisciplinary experience for students, who will take advantage of a direct interaction with professors from different fields as well as responsibles in charge of coastal management and preservation. The experience will foster (1) an understanding of the main natural and anthropogenic drivers of the evolution of coastal environments, including both biotic and abiotic components; (2) the ability to analyze resource and management problems in coastal areas; (3) a conceptual understanding of preservation and restoration solutions. Attendance is mandatory. Absence from the fieldwork will be granted only in the event of medical or family emergencies, which must be documented and communicated to the organizers. At the end of the experience, readings on topics related to the fieldwork will be assigned and students will be divided into groups. A critique report on the management activities observed during the fieldwork will be required from each group and a final general discussion will be performed in class.

Course contents

First day

The first day is to visit the Bacino Zennare basin, an area in the south basin of the Venice lagoon which is a former wetland that was reclaimed about 80 years ago. The high percentage of peat in the soil makes the area very productive, but the intensive agricultural activities have already contributed to the release of tons of CO2 in the atmosphere, and therefore the area has undergone a strong subsidence process, and it is now between 2 m and 3.5 m below the current sea level. Considering the current and future rise of the sea level, the question is: should we leave the situation as it is (with more subsidence in the future), or should we instead plan for adapting measurements, for example the rewetting of some lands? The construction of wetlands in new territories or the rewetting of former wetlands might in fact become a solution to stop the CO2 release from these areas and the land subsidence. However, this is still a research argument because other greenhouse gases, for example CH3, are produced. The second visit is to see a constructed freshwater wetland, Ca’ di Mezzo, an excellent example of how humans can take advantage of some important wetland functions, such as for example water purification.

Second day

The program uses the Venice lagoon and its watershed as a natural laboratory that allows the students to explore several aspects related to coastal evolution and management. The field trip to the barrier island called Pellestrina is an occasion to visit a small museum that hosts historical maps and models of the ancient lagoon of Venice, allowing the students to understand the lagoon evolution and the importance of some morphological structures, for example the barrier islands, the inlets and the coastal dunes. The history of the construction of the protection structure called “Murazzi” is a starting point to describe the management activities performed in the past and still ongoing in Venice. Field activities complete the picture, providing students with practical work on biodiversity and related topics.

Third day

Another example is the MOSE dam system, which is a system of gates that disconnect the lagoon from the sea in case of high tides. The visit to the MOSE control room provides students with an overview of the project and the issues related to the management of the dams. The trip to the north lagoon inlet (Bocca di Lido) is important to discuss the possible alternatives that humans have to fight against relative sea level rise, and in particular the difference of hard and soft protection projects. During this trip we also see from the boat some natural and restored salt marshes, the perfect occasion to talk about the halophytic vegetation that grows in intertidal environments and about the ecology of waterlogged soils. In these areas the lack of oxygen in the soil, which is typical of wetlands, delays the decomposition processes, and therefore a large portion of the organic matter accumulated on these surfaces sinks and is stored underground. This process is also called “carbon burial” or “sequestration” and, if considered at the global scale, can substantially contribute to a decrease of the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. However, in case of bad management, the organic matter stored in the soil might become a source of carbon that is released in the ocean or in the atmosphere, for example in the case of peatlands.

Fourth day

The visit to the Port of Venice enables students to explore another important aspect of the complex interplay between various interests and economic revenues associated with the Venice lagoon. Environmental issues stemming from the intensive traffic of large ships, cargo vessels, and oil tankers will be discussed, and questions regarding these topics are encouraged.

Readings/Bibliography

Slides and papers will be provided by the teachers

Teaching methods

Field activities

Assessment methods

Each student will choose one of the several topics addressed during the field trip, and will produce a final report and give a final presentation.

Office hours

See the website of Sonia Silvestri

See the website of Nicolas Greggio

See the website of Federica Costantini

See the website of Laura Pezzolesi

See the website of Enrico Dinelli