MOSE Project - Venice flood control

This new island in in Venice is part of the MOSE Project.

The MOSE Project (acronym for Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico — in English, Experimental Electromechanical Module) is a project intended to protect the city of Venice, Italy. Is an integrated defence system consisting of rows of mobile gates able to isolate the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea when the tide reaches above an established level (110 cm) and up to a maximum of 3 m. Together with other complementary measures such as coastal reinforcement, the raising of quaysides and paving and improvement of the lagoon environment, these barriers will protect the city of Venice from extreme events such as the floods and from morphological degradation. Work on the project has been underway since 2003 at the three lagoon inlets of Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia, the gaps connecting the lagoon with the sea and through which the tide ebbs and flows. The name MOSE is also a play on the Italian name for Moses, Mosè.