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The famous canals of Venice were dry this weekend for the second time in three years due to small tides and lack of rainfall that have caused historically low levels in the city lagoons.
The gondolas operating in these canals were seen blocked due to muddy bottoms in them, as on Saturday the water level dropped to 30 cm below sea level and forecasts spoke of further reductions during the week.
The phenomenon is believed to be related to the full moon of February, otherwise known as the “snow moon”, which causes the largest fluctuations in the tides of Venice lagoon.
The development is also linked to a high-pressure atmospheric system throughout Italy that reduces the possibility of cloud formation and consequently rain to fill canals.
Meteorologists say the water level could drop by another 30 cm before the tides return to normal levels by the end of the week.
Although some modes of water transport in Venice have become unusable, locals have been able to see algae and mollusks investigating on the walls of buildings at ordinary water levels.
Even in January 2018, water levels fell to about 35 cm below sea level, while the record of this phenomenon was set in February 2008 when it fell to more than 40 cm, according to Italian media.
Authorities in Venice say that on new moon and full moon days, the effect of the sun and moon brings the biggest tidal fluctuations.
This is because reaching the full moon requires aligning the moon with the sun, which means that both of these exert greater attraction on the earth’s seas and oceans.
The full moon of February is known as the “snow moon” because at this time most of the northern hemisphere is covered by considerable snowfall.
Venetians have seen significant flooding in recent years, as in the case of the flooding of the central St. Mark’s Square with up to 2 meters of water in November 2019, which was the highest level since 1966.
A multi-billion dollar anti-toll barrier called Mose has been in place since last year, which has been driven for years by rising costs and corruption.
But it needs 48 hours to be activated and this has led to officials being caught unprepared several times.
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