On the artificial tidal flat of Cartons, Venice, Salicornia fruticosa thrives in a dynamic cycle of flooding and drying. As the tides rise, the plants are submerged, but the ecosystem adapts. Microbial mats form in sunlight, stabilizing the soil and promoting photosynthesis.

During storms, the plants vanish beneath the waves, trapping nutrients and sediments, while microbes fortify the soil. After the storm, the enriched soil allows the salt marshes to grow and adapt to rising sea levels, continuing their cycle of renewal, going down and up again, and again! The video was captured during the search for microbial and plant material for the installation Doom Doom, Microbial Zoom with Dr. Giovanni Cecconi.