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Abiotic Factors of the Venetian Lagoon

An abiotic factor is a nonliving dynamic, such as climate or geology, that impacts the environment of the living things within that environment. The Venetian Lagoon is a shallow, coastal lagoon in the northern region of the Adriatic Sea. The lagoon is home to many islands, including Venice, Italy, which is located on an island in center of the lagoon. Some of the abiotic factors that effect the Venetian Lagoon's plant and animal life are geological features, the acqua alta, pollution and industrialization.

Geological Features
- The Venetian Lagoon encompasses about 212 square miles, making it Italy's and the Mediterranean Basin's largest wetland. Approximately 80 percent of the lagoon's wetland varieties come in the form of salt marshes, mud flats and tidal shallows. Salt marshes are land regions that are covered by salt-tolerant plant life and accumulations of fine-grained sediments. Mud flats are sloped or flatland spans that are rich in fine-grained sediment and clay minerals. Tidal shallows or tidal flats are land areas that emerge during low tide, and are characterized by exposed channels and sandbanks.
Acqua Alta
- Acqua alta is the Italian word for "high water," and is commonly used to distinguish the Venetian Lagoon area that floods more than 40 times each year. Acqua alta takes place when the tide level is 35 inches above the normal high tide. It usually coincides with scirocco winds blowing across the Adriatic Sea, low atmospheric pressure and new or full moon periods.
Pollution
- The Venetian Lagoon region has a long-standing record of environmental pollution problems. It primarily began occurring after World War II with the emergence of heavy industrial activity and has continued to steadily increase. Factory emissions, shipping traffic, urban waste and other commercial activity, coupled with erosion and low water circulation have made the area's pollution issues critical.
Industrialization
- While industrialization has been the main contributor to the Venetian Lagoon's pollution problems, it is also turned what could have remained a marshy, rural expanse into a thriving epicenter. Some of Venice's principal industries include tourism, textiles, fishing, ship building and glassware.
Lagoon Life
- While the city of Venice is commonly perceived as synonymous with the Venetian Lagoon; in reality, aquatic regions occupy more than 90 percent of the lagoon's surface area. The lagoon's natural environments host a vast array of plant and animal life, including productive fish habitats; plush sea grass meadows; a wide range of mollusk, crustacean and gastropod varieties; and more that 60 species of aquatic birds. However, ultimately, abiotic factors contribute -- negatively and positively -- to both natural and urbanized areas in varying degrees.

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