Environmental impact of gas platforms in the Northern Adriatic Sea: a case study

The potential impact induced by the installation of the off-shore gas platform PCMS-1 (Northern Adriatic Sea) on the surrounding sediments and benthic community, as well as bio-accumulation in mussels settled on the submerged part of the rig, was studied for 2 years. A few sediment anomalies were observed in the first survey, but they decreased in the following periods. The only change in zoobenthos occurred after one year from installation, when mussel mounds developed close to the rig. Differences in hydrocarbon and organic matter content between the platform mussels and those collected at a control site were detected only in the first survey year.