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Macrozoobenthic assemblages around a marine terminal for re-gasifying liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the north Adriatic Sea (Italy)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2015

Benedetta Trabucco ,
Laura Grossi ,
Veronica Marusso ,
Tiziano Bacci ,
Fabio Bertasi Open the ORCID record for Fabio Bertasi [Opens in a new window] ,
Silvia Ceracchi ,
Serena Lomiri ,
Danilo Vani  and
Claudia Virno Lamberti
Benedetta Trabucco*
Affiliation:
ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Laura Grossi
Affiliation:
ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Veronica Marusso
Affiliation:
ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Tiziano Bacci
Affiliation:
ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Fabio Bertasi
Affiliation:
ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Silvia Ceracchi
Affiliation:
ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Serena Lomiri
Affiliation:
ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Danilo Vani
Affiliation:
ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Claudia Virno Lamberti
Affiliation:
ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: B. Trabucco, ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The first offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Italy and the first gravity based structure (GBS) in the world for unloading, storing and re-gasifying liquefied natural gas, was authorized and realized. The Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA, formerly ICRAM) formulated and implemented a multidisciplinary monitoring plan at verifying possible impacts of the project on marine environment. Data from June 2006 to July 2012 on the soft-bottom macrozoobenthic assemblages around the LNG terminal are presented, with the aim of verifying possible disturbances on these assemblages associated with the LNG terminal, by comparing the structure of the benthic communities before and after installation of the terminal, and during its operation. Well-structured assemblages were observed for the entire period investigated, with all taxa normally represented both quantitatively and qualitatively. A temporary disturbance due to the construction of the LNG terminal was detected in the surrounding sediments, while the presence of the concrete structure did not show significant effects at the investigated distances.

Keywords

soft-bottom macrozoobenthosmarine LNG terminalliquefied natural gasLNGgravity based structureGBSNorth Adriatic SeaMediterranean Sea
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 95 , Issue 8 , December 2015 , pp. 1541 - 1553
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2015 

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