Jan 5th, 2017: Low Tide

[xoxoxoBruce]

We've been hearing about Venice Italy spending €5.4 billion on the MOSE tide gates, battling high tides
flooding the city for years. But for the 2nd year they have a problem of abnormally low tides.

The exceptionally low water levels have been caused by abnormal tides this year, combined with drastically
reduced rainfall across northeastern Italy. Although low tides are common around this time of the year,
this year the water levels have gone down some 70 cm(27.5") below average. The phenomenon is surprising
given that Venice is slowly sinking and floods are a more common feature of the city today than low tides.

The low water levels have exposed the city’s filth. Years of poor maintenance on the city's waterways is
showing through the buildup of large banks of mud and silt around the canals' edges, drastically reducing
the canals’ depth and increasing the likelihood of propellers snagging on floating junk. The lower than
normal water levels have also exposed the crumbling brickwork at the base of historic buildings.

Link