Venice falling

Compacting soil means the flood-prone city is sinking

Venice is still sinking and will probably continue to do so for a long time, a new study suggests. That’s bad news for the local government, which had already put a stop to groundwater pumping in an effort to curb the city’s subsidence.

Venice sank an average of 1 to 2 millimeters per year between 2000 and 2010, with some areas (red) subsiding even faster.