The muddy canals of Venice

Last week ABC news reported that sea level in the canals of Venice has plunged to the lowest level in fourteen years. While the scientist in me wonders if this will allay the fears of those who worried that melting icecaps would flood the world's coastal cities, the treasure-hunter in me is more fascinated by the prospect of running a metal detector over the mud and scooping up coins that have been dropped in the canals over the last 500 years.