Abstract
The parameters characterizing the state of the Venice lagoon environment and its biota were measured at 70 stations covering all its three basins in August–October 1996. These observations repeated those accomplished in the lagoon in 1993 during a previous survey. Comparison of the results for 1993 and 1996 showed that a drastic change in the ecological situation had occurred in the lagoon during that period. In 1993, it was critical in its central and northern basins, while the southern basin was still preserving its less perturbed ecological status. In 1996, the ecosystems of the former two basins were found to be rapidly recovering, but the ecosystem at the southern basin was found to be in a state of catastrophic collapse regarding its biota, especially in its southern part. This change was attributed to the change in the direction of waste discharges by the Marghera refinery complex from the central basin to the southern basin under the pressure of public opinion. The phenomenon of the rapid ecological recovery of the central and northern basins released from the detrimental industrial pollution impact of the Marghera wastes is investigated in detail, as is also the ecological distress in the southern basin. Among the parameters measured at the stations were: contents of labile organic matter and suspended organic matter in water column, standing stock of acid-volatile sulfides in bottom sediments, abundance and composition of all plankton components, whole plankton biomass, primary production by phytoplankton, bacterial production and decomposition rate of organic matter. The comparison of parameters measured in 1993 and in 1996 in the areas considered is presented as well as the basic ratios and examples of energy balances. The problems of monitoring the Venice lagoon ecology are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alberotanza, L. & G. Zucchetta, 1988. Caratteristiche Delle Acque Della Laguna di Venezia. CNR-ISDGM, Venice: 60 pp.
Bernardi, S., F. Costa, S. Vazzoler, R. Cecchi, G. Ghermandi & G. Magnoni, 1982. Transfer of fresch water pollutants into the Lagoon of Venice. “VI Journees Etud. Pollutions”, Cannes, C.I.E.S.M.: 73–78.
Capello, G., 1579. Trattato per Migliorar e Conservar la Laguna di Venezia, Bibl. Min. Lav. Pubblici, Roma: 609 pp.
Carbognin, L., 1987. Venezia, la sua laguna, i suoi problemi, “Atti del VI Congresso Nazionale dell'Ordine dei Geologi”, Venezia, 25–27 settembre: 239–255.
Carbognin, L. & P. Gatto, 1981. The Lagoon of Venice: natural environmental trend and man-induced modification. Hydrological Sci. Bull. 26: 379–391.
Caron, D. A., 1983. Enumeration of nanoplankton using epifluorescence microscopy. Appl. envir. Microbiol. 46: 491–498.
Cescon, B. & G. Grancini, 1971. On some aspects of the marine pollution in Venice Lagoon. Boll. Geofisica teor. ed Applicata 8: 36–43.
Cossu, R. & E. De Fraja Frangipane, 1985. Stato delle conoscenze sull'inquinamento della Laguna di Venezia. Progetto Venezia, Consorzio Venezia Nuova: 36–48.
Dame, R. F. (ed.), 1993. Bivalve Filter Feeders in Estuarine and Coastal Processes. Springer, Heidelberg: 579 pp.
D'Ancona, U., A. Faganelli & F. Ranzoli, 1951.Il trofismo della Laguna Veneta e la vivificazione marina. Atti Soc. Int. Theor. Appl. 11: 88–89.
Hobbie, J., R. Daley & S. Jasper, 1979. Use of Nucleopore filters for counting bacteria by epifluorescence microscopy. Appl. envir. Microbiol. 33: 1225–1228.
Jorgensen, B. B., 1980. Seasonal oxygen depletion in the bottom waters if Danish fjord and its effect on benthic community. Oikos 34: 68–71.
Moriani, G., 1977. Il problema ambientale di Porto Marghera. Aqua et Aria 10: 711–719.
Perin, G. & A. Gabelli, 1985. Inquinamento chimico della Laguna di Venezia. Aqua Aria 6: 615–621.
Paveljeva, E. & Yu. I. Sorokin, 1972. Efficiency of zooplankton catching with various tools. Inform Bull., Institute Freshwater Biology (Borok). Acad. Sci. USSR, N 15: 73–80 (in Russian).
Petipa, T. S., Yu. I. Sorokin & L. A. Lanskaya, 1970. Study of nutrition of Acartia clausi with the aid of 14C. Biology of the Sea (Kiev) 19: 166–181 (in Russian).
Riccardi, N., 1997. Variazione stagionale tra i sessi in copepods della Laguna di Venezia. Atti Congr. Ass. Ital. Oceanol, Limnol (Genova) 1: 30–35.
Sfirso, A. & A. Cavallo, 1983. La situazione delle alghe nella laguna di Venezia. Ambiente, Risorse, Salute 16: 38–39.
Sfirso, A., A. Marcomini & B. Pavoni, 1987. Relationships between macroalgal biomass and nutrient concentrations in hyperentrophic area of the Venice lagoon. Mar. envir. Res. 22: 287–312.
Sfirso, A.,B. Pavoni & A. Marcomini, 1989. Macroalgae and phytoplankton standing crops in the central Venice lagoon: primary production and nutrient balance. Sci. Tot. Environ. 80: 139–159.
Sfirso, A., B. Pavoni, A. Marcomini & A. A. Drio, 1992. Macroalgae, nutrient cycles and pollutants in the lagoon of Venice. Estuaries 15: 517–528.
Sorokin, Yu. I., 1975. Sulfide formation and chemical composition of bottom sediments in some Italian lakes. Hydrobiologia 47: 231–240.
Sorokin, Yu. I., 1982. Microbial sulfatireduction in bottom sediments of some italian bodies of water. Hydrobiol. J. (Kiev) 18: 38–44 (in Russian).
Sorokin, Yu. I., 1994. Role of plankton in the turnover of organic matter on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Hydrobiologia 308: 35–44.
Sorokin, Yu. I., P. Yu. Sorokin, O. Giovanardi & L. Dalla Venezia, 1996a. Study of ecosystem of Venice lagoon with emphasis on anthropogenic impact. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 141: 247–261.
Sorokin, Yu. I., P. Yu. Sorokin & A. Gnes, 1996b. Structure and functioning of anthropogenically transformed Comacchio lagoonal ecosystem. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 133: 57–71.
Sorokin, Yu. I., 1999a. Radioisotopic Methods in Hydrobiology. Springer, Heidelberg: 321 pp.
Sorokin, Yu. I., 1999b. Aquatic Microbial Ecology. Backhuys, Leiden: 245 pp.
Stachowitsch, A., 1984. Mass mortality in the Gulf of Trieste. Mar. Ecol. 5: 243–264.
Stachowitsch, M. & A. Boldrin, 1982. The oxygen crisis in the Northern Adriatic sea in 1977 and its effect on benthic communities. Proc. 6th Symp. CMAS: 167–175.
Tchebotarev, Yu. S. & Yu. I. Sorokin, 1985. Stock of labile organic matter and rate of its decomposition in coastal marine waters. In Sorokin, Yu. (ed.), Seasonal Changes in the Black Sea Plankton. Nauka, Moscow: 123–128 (in Russian).
Tiso, A., 1966. Inquinamento prodotto dagli scarichi delle industrie del Porto Marghera nelle acque della Laguna di Venezia. Rapp. e Studii Commissione di Studio del Provvedimenti Conservazione e difesa laguna. Citt. di Venezia, Ist. Ven. Sci. Lett. Arti. 3: 185–229.
Vinogradov, M. E. & E. A. Shushkina, 1987. On comparative effi-ciency of large water bottles and of plankton net tows using for collection of mesozooplankton samples. Oceanology (Moscow) 27: 329–335 (in Russian).
Zucchetta, G., 1983. L'inquinamento della Laguna di Venezia. Ateneo Veneto 21 (n. 2): 55 pp.
Zsolnay, J., 1975. Total labile carbon in the Baltic sea as measured by BOD. Mar. Biol. 29: 125–128.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sorokin, P.Y., Sorokin, Y.I., Zakuskina, O.Y. et al. On the changing ecology of Venice lagoon. Hydrobiologia 487, 1–18 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022939426396
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022939426396