The oceanographic tower Acqua Alta: more than a quarter of a century of activity

This paper summarizes the relevant research activities that have been carri ed out on board of the oceanographic tower curing more than, quarter of a c entury of its active life. There is no special event that has triggered thi s paper, but the conviction that the amount of researches and results, stil l already published in the specialized magazines, deserves a summarizing an d compact presentation. In this way it is possible to appreciate the freque nt interaction among the different branches of the marine researches, and t o realize how a single relevant result is always the final product of a lar ge number of previous advances. Still with a predominance of the physical a spect, the paper covers many subjects of the marine research, moving from b iology and chemistry to the physics of the atmosphere and the ocean. The lo cation of the tower is in the Adriatic Sea, 15 km off the coast of the Veni ce lagoon. The limited depth (16 m) excludes any consideration of the deep water processes in the oceans, but provides the rare possibility of combini ng fundamental research and intensive practical applications of the obtaine d results. Expectably, the presence of Venice, prime reason for the existen ce of the tower, has been a catalyst in this direction.