Reconciling flood-risk reduction and wetland resilience behind coastal floodgates

Reconciling flood-risk reduction and wetland resilience behind coastal floodgates | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Reconciling flood-risk reduction and wetland resilience behind coastal floodgates Alessandro Michielotto, Alvise Finotello, Riccardo Mel, Eli Lazarus, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7100485/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Coastal urban areas face increasing hazards from sea-level rise and extreme weather events. Where population relocation is not feasible, hard-engineering defence measures are often adopted to mitigate flooding. However, the implications of such interventions for the surrounding tidal eco-geomorphic system remain poorly understood. Here, we explore the effects of the recently implemented Mo.S.E. storm-surge barrier system on hydrodynamics and wetland resilience within the Venice Lagoon—a highly anthropized environment that may presage the future of coastal cities more broadly. Our analysis demonstrates that while the floodgates successfully protect urban areas from flooding, current operational practices significantly limit the magnitude and duration of wetland flooding, thereby reducing sediment deposition vital for wetland resilience. By comparing current barrier operations with a modelled optimized scenario, we show that subtle adjustments to activation timing can substantially reduce the eco-geomorphological impacts of the barriers, promoting a more sustainable balance between urban protection and ecosystem integrity. Earth and environmental sciences/Hydrology Earth and environmental sciences/Natural hazards Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supportinginformation.docx Reconciling flood-risk reduction and wetland resilience behind coastal floodgates - Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7100485","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":489151372,"identity":"d5c52599-f2f5-45e3-96aa-1fe86c6a9323","order_by":0,"name":"Alessandro Michielotto","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8299-4704","institution":"University of Padova","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alessandro","middleName":"","lastName":"Michielotto","suffix":""},{"id":489151373,"identity":"1422852f-ce09-4aab-ae0e-45e71d444e36","order_by":1,"name":"Alvise Finotello","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Geosciences, University of Padova","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alvise","middleName":"","lastName":"Finotello","suffix":""},{"id":489151374,"identity":"27b1fc73-586f-4ed9-a550-8fbb1a03cce3","order_by":2,"name":"Riccardo Mel","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Riccardo","middleName":"","lastName":"Mel","suffix":""},{"id":489151375,"identity":"194060de-eb78-4b62-b46d-a8b78d781bf1","order_by":3,"name":"Eli Lazarus","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2404-9661","institution":"University of Southampton","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Eli","middleName":"","lastName":"Lazarus","suffix":""},{"id":489151376,"identity":"2c485023-af91-426e-8405-6331a0276eca","order_by":4,"name":"Luca Carniello","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Luca","middleName":"","lastName":"Carniello","suffix":""},{"id":489151377,"identity":"00333d89-b4f6-4d94-8b85-b108739cd983","order_by":5,"name":"Davide Tognin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Davide","middleName":"","lastName":"Tognin","suffix":""},{"id":489151378,"identity":"6312d05d-a3a4-4bab-90c8-1205ed090658","order_by":6,"name":"Andrea D'Alpaos","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Padua","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Andrea","middleName":"","lastName":"D'Alpaos","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-11 10:11:38","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7100485/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7100485/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":87382418,"identity":"ccc749ce-e337-4f71-9ebc-85dfc6fced11","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-23 08:38:54","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2113866,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptMichielotto.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7100485/v1_covered_a8d3b1bd-50d9-4acf-acc4-ef56a9c0e5aa.pdf"},{"id":87379630,"identity":"5e4364a2-99be-4778-91be-25a2c9325950","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-23 08:30:49","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":1165488,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Reconciling flood-risk reduction and wetland resilience behind coastal floodgates - 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