Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Sediment Transport and Silting Rate in a Microtidal Estuary: Case Study of Osellino Canal (Venice Lagoon, Italy)

Published inEnvironments, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 112
First online date2026-02-17
Abstract

Riverbed siltation in estuaries affects ecosystem functioning, water quality, and navigation. This study investigates the flow-regulated Osellino Canal, a freshwater tributary of the Venice Lagoon that crosses a largely urbanized area and is undergoing progressive siltation. High-resolution measurements of discharge (Q) and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) were performed using hydroacoustic instrumentation from September 2019 to December 2021. The analysis examined discharge dynamics, sediment transport, and rainfall-runoff relationships. Results indicate a mean annual discharge of 2.1 m3 s−1 and an average annual suspended sediment load of ~2900 ± 330 t. Discharge patterns were strongly influenced by water management, resulting in anomalous runoff coefficients (δ > 1) during dry periods. Sediment export proved to be strongly event-driven: episodic high-flow events accounted for about 23% of the total load despite representing only a small fraction of the study period. Furthermore, a strong linear relationship between runoff and sediment load (R2 = 0.94) confirms an advection-dominated regime, where net export is regulated primarily by hydrodynamic volume rather than fluctuations in sediment supply. Bathymetric comparisons (2011–2019) reveal a mean annual sediment retention of 400 ± 100 t yr-1, corresponding to a trapping efficiency of approximately 12 ± 3% relative to the gross sediment input. These findings, supported by SSL–runoff regression residuals, consistently indicate net sediment accumulation associated with the long-term malfunction of a miter-gate system that impedes efficient sediment export. This study provides a critical pre-rehabilitation baseline, establishing a benchmark to evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing restoration efforts initiated in March 2022 and the future hydromorphological recovery of the canal.

Keywords
  • Freshwater discharge
  • Suspended sediment load
  • Estuarine siltation
  • Bathymetric survey
  • Hydrology
  • Monitoring
  • MoSE
  • Venice Lagoon
Citation (ISO format)
ZONTA, Roberto et al. Sediment Transport and Silting Rate in a Microtidal Estuary: Case Study of Osellino Canal (Venice Lagoon, Italy). In: Environments, 2026, vol. 13, n° 2, p. 112. doi: 10.3390/environments13020112
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Article (Published version)
Identifiers
Additional URL for this publicationhttps://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/13/2/112
Journal ISSN2076-3298
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