MOSE, Flood barrier project in Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy.
MOSE is a technical system of 78 movable steel gates at the three entrances to the Venetian lagoon. These rise from the seabed to block high tides.
After the 1966 flood, planning began for a protective system against the water. Construction started in 2003 and lasted over a decade.
The name links a technical abbreviation to the biblical Moses who parted the sea. Visitors see from the shore the massive infrastructure protecting Venice's daily life against the water.
The gates rise when forecasts expect water levels above 130 centimeters (51 inches). A control center monitors around the clock the water data with sensors throughout the lagoon.
Each segment consists of hollow steel boxes that fill with air and thus surface. The process from the seabed to the surface takes about half an hour.
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