Chapter The Amphipoda and Cumacea assemblage response to LNG terminal installation in Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

Overview & Synopsis

The Italian government have installed the first offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal that stores and re-gasifies liquefied natural gas due to the increasing of energy demand. The LGN terminal was positioned in the North Adriatic Sea and ISPRA, had monitored the installation and exercise activities for about 10 years; the monitoring program was executed in three phases: ante operam, during terminal installation and during terminal exercise. The monitoring process concerned different matrices: water, sediments, and biota; in this study, the results carried out by the macrozoobenthic community analysis, are shown. These communities are recognized as an important tool to evaluate the environmental conditions, since they live in close contact with the seabed, etc. Our study was on two groups of macrozoobenthic crustacea: Amphipoda and Cumacea, providing information about the effect due to the first LGN terminal on this portion of benthic ecosystem. In the last years other LNG terminals were installed in the Italian Sea, the results of this study will be used to improve the planning sampling survey to understand the building effect on benthic communities.