Radiochemical methodology for the determination of the mass balance of suspended particulate materials exchanged at the inlets of the Venice Lagoon

The Venice Lagoon is connected to the Adriatic Sea by three inlets, with an average daily water inflow of 345*106 m3. Due to the diversion of the major rivers out of the lagoon (done in the past centuries), the sediment supply from the drainage basin is now very low when compared to the amount of sediment exchanged at the inlets (<1%). The limited sediment supply and the combined action of natural and anthropic pressures (e.g. waves, ships, fishing activities, dredging for navigation purposes) have caused in the last few decades a significant erosion of mudflats and salt-marshes. In order to investigate the history and the characteristics of the above phenomenon, with particular regard to the most recent years and the future trend, a wide radiochemical survey has been carried out in the whole lagoon, including the characterisation of the suspended particulate matter entering and leaving the lagoon in different tidal and meteorological conditions, with the aim of obtaining an indirect estimate of the sediment mass balance of the lagoon. The proposed radiochemical methodology, which is based on concentration measurements of airborne radionuclides in suspended particulate matter, appears to be an useful alternative to direct methods (e.g. bathymetric campaigns in the lagoon or mass fluxes measurements of the suspended particulate materials exchanged at the inlets). The results obtained, which show a complex sedimentary situation, highlight the erosion acting in some central and southern lagoon areas but recognise also the present accumulation phase coming into view in the northern lagoon.