Colour photograph of the oceanographic tower taken from the air. Below and around it is the sea and a blue sky with white clouds. The tower is a steel tube structure with two orange-coloured living quarters, a white external box with windows and various sensors distributed throughout the structure.

Acqua Alta Oceanographic Tower (Marco Zorzanello)

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The 'Acqua Alta' Oceanographic Platform is a technological sentinel in the Adriatic Sea, operated by the CNR (National Research Council). Established as a response to the historic flooding of Venice in 1966, it now representsworld excellence in marine research.

Thanks to its strategic location and more than 40 years of historical data series, the platform is fundamental for monitoring climate change, predicting tides and studying marine biology in the open sea, providing vital support for the preservation of Venice's lagoon heritage and improving weather forecasts worldwide.

In briefHistorical origin: created in 1970 following the 1966 'Acqua Granda' disaster to protect Venice.Unique location: located 8 miles off the coast on a 16-metre seabed; it is one of the world's very few fixed research facilities.Uninterrupted monitoring: it has one of the world's longest wave data sets (since 1979), crucial for studying climate and processes resulting from climate change.Operational support: its sensors provide essential real-time data for the Venice Tide Forecasting and Reporting Centre.Multidisciplinary laboratory: it hosts research in physics, chemistry and biology.Inno

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