Venice Is Stuck in the Mud As Tide Plummets

VENICE — Gondolas were left stranded in mud along Venice's Grand Canal yesterday after the city witnessed one of its lowest tides ever. Ferry companies and private boats had to find new routes around the Italian city when the water level fell to about 30 inches below sea level, the lowest figure recorded for the past 14 years.

Dozens of calls were made to the fire brigade from vessels that had become stuck in the mud, while hopping on and off the vaporetti, or water buses, was made hazardous by the steepness of the piers. While the long-term survival of Venice is threatened by flooding due to the rising sea level, an entire year has passed without significant high tides.

"This is the season — February and March — when we normally have very low tides, but in recent years they have been lower than ever," a water taxi operator near the Rialto Bridge, Moreno Padoan, said. He said that despite warnings that global warming would melt glaciers and raise the sea level, Venetians had historically faced exceptionally high tides, with many deaths attributed to flooding in the 16th century. But the exceptional "drought" in Venice does not actually mean that the scientists are wrong.

"This phenomenon is the result of exceptional weather conditions: a combination of high pressure and prevailing winds," said Leonardo Cossutta, the head of the office responsible for monitoring Venice's tides.