A monitoring program was developed to assess the impact on the marine ecosystem induced by the off-shore gas platform located in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Benthic communities are widely used in the monitoring of effects of marine impacts as the organisms are mostly sessile and integrate effects of pollutants over time. Changes to benthic infauna, sediments and water quality as well as biota bioaccumulation caused by gas drilling operations in the Calipso field were experimentally evaluated using a multidisciplinary approach. Sediments and benthic communities were seasonally collected by box corer and Van Veen grab along two perpendicular transects (NW-SE, in parallel with predicted current movements and NE-SW). Mussels (M. galloprovincialis) were also collected seasonally from platform legs, both close and far from sacrificial anodes and at a control site. Polycyclic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, organic matter contents and heavy metals were determined. Changes in the abundance of species aggregated by phylum were assessed. This work examines drilling related impacts using a before-after control impact experimental design, giving a benchmark to help in understanding effects of further gas industry expansion in an heavily exploited Adriatic sea.
Environmental impact of offshore oil and gas activities on benthic environment: a case study
Gomiero A;Strafella P;Punzo E;Salvalaggio V;Spagnolo A;Fabi G
2014
Abstract
A monitoring program was developed to assess the impact on the marine ecosystem induced by the off-shore gas platform located in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Benthic communities are widely used in the monitoring of effects of marine impacts as the organisms are mostly sessile and integrate effects of pollutants over time. Changes to benthic infauna, sediments and water quality as well as biota bioaccumulation caused by gas drilling operations in the Calipso field were experimentally evaluated using a multidisciplinary approach. Sediments and benthic communities were seasonally collected by box corer and Van Veen grab along two perpendicular transects (NW-SE, in parallel with predicted current movements and NE-SW). Mussels (M. galloprovincialis) were also collected seasonally from platform legs, both close and far from sacrificial anodes and at a control site. Polycyclic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, organic matter contents and heavy metals were determined. Changes in the abundance of species aggregated by phylum were assessed. This work examines drilling related impacts using a before-after control impact experimental design, giving a benchmark to help in understanding effects of further gas industry expansion in an heavily exploited Adriatic sea.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
