Per progettare le future infrastrutture di difesa per Venezia e altre città costiere, sarà cruciale stimare l’impatto delle emissioni sull’innalzamento del livello del mare durante questo secolo. Lo affermano gli autori di una nuova analisi scientifica sul rischio di acqua alta a Venezia, pubblicata oggi sulla rivista scientifica Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. Lo studio, coordinato da ricercatori dell’Università del Salento, dell’Istituto di scienze marine del Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche e dell’Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, analizza dati storici e contemporanei su Venezia, Patrimonio Mondiale Unesco, per comprendere il recente aumento del rischio di allagamenti, che gli scenari di cambiamento climatico indicano potrebbe aumentare ancora e addirittura accelerare nel corso del 21° secolo.

Il fattore chiave nell’esaminare la grave minaccia di allagamenti a Venezia e in altre città costiere è l’innalzamento del livello del mare relativo, ovvero l’innalzamento del livello del mare rispetto alla superficie terrestre solida locale, che risulta dalla subsidenza della superfice su cui sorge la città e dall’innalzamento del livello medio del mare.

Schematic illustration of the adhesive patch with diving beetle–inspired suction chambers against rough and wet human skin.

Scientists develop beetle inspired device for skin care.

Drawing inspiration from nature, a team of international scientists have invented a smart device for personalized skin care modeled after the male diving beetle. This tool collects and monitors body fluids while sticking to the skin’s surface, paving the way for more accurate diagnostics and treatment for skin diseases and conditions like acne. The team includes Bo-yong Park, a former postdoctoral researcher at The Neuro at McGill University.

Q&A with Bo-yong Park
What problem did you set out to solve?

Traditional non-invasive diagnostic devices developed for skin care have several limitations. These devices tend to be less accurate, hard to use, and require expensive equipment to analyze results. The chemical adhesives used in the process can also cause skin irritation or sometimes damage, making them difficult to use repeatedly or for a long time. Maintaining adhesion in different conditions like a wet or a curved skin surface can also be very challenging.

Fraunhofer researchers have developed an intelligent coating for glass windows that darkens in the sun. This uses electrochromic and thermochromic materials that react to electricity and heat. In buildings with large glass façades, it stops the rooms from getting too hot because of solar radiation, thereby reducing the demand for energy-intensive air conditioning.

The building sector is one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. According to the German Environment Agency, buildings are responsible for around 30 percent of the country’s CO2 emissions and 35 percent of its final energy consumption. Buildings with large glass façades and roofs are particularly problematic, such as the office towers that dominate modern cities. They heat up in the sun, especially in summer. However, using blinds and jalousies to provide shade is often unpopular, as they detract from the aesthetic appeal of the glass and disturb the view outside. Instead, the interior is cooled with air conditioning, which requires enormous amounts of electricity and increases the carbon footprint of the building.