Use of multiple cell and tissue-level biomarkers in mussels collected along two gas fields in the northern Adriatic Sea as a tool for long term environmental monitoring.
As a consequence of the growing global demand of energy supplies, intense oil and gas exploration and exploitation programs have been carried out worldwide especially within the marine environments. The release of oil-derived compounds in the sea from anthropogenic sources both as effluents or accidental spill is perceived as a major environmental concern. An approach based on a combination of biomarkers and the distribution of some classes of environmentally relevant pollutants was used to investigate the occurrence of a stress syndrome in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) collected at three gas platforms placed in two distinct oceanographic districts within the Adriatic Sea. Biological responses were integrated by a ranking algorithm which demonstrated both a range of biological effects reflecting exposure gradients and a temporal related trend in the investigated responses. The overall results demonstrate a moderate to absent pollution from studied gas platforms with low but remarkable biological disturbance in sentinel organisms.
National Research Council - ISMAR, Largo Fiera della Pesca 1, 60125 Ancona, Italy; Department of Sciences and Technological Innovation (DiSIT), University of Piemonte Orientale, Viale T. Michel 11, 15123 Alessandria, Italy. Electronic address: alessio.gomiero@an.ismar.cnr.it.
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Gomiero
Thetis SpA, Castello 2737/f, 30122 Venice, Italy.
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Volpato
Thetis SpA, Castello 2737/f, 30122 Venice, Italy.
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Nasci
Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy.
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Perra
Department of Sciences and Technological Innovation (DiSIT), University of Piemonte Orientale, Viale T. Michel 11, 15123 Alessandria, Italy.
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Viarengo
Department of Sciences and Technological Innovation (DiSIT), University of Piemonte Orientale, Viale T. Michel 11, 15123 Alessandria, Italy.
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Dagnino
National Research Council - ISMAR, Largo Fiera della Pesca 1, 60125 Ancona, Italy.
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Spagnolo
National Research Council - ISMAR, Largo Fiera della Pesca 1, 60125 Ancona, Italy.
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Fabi
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006115:Greece; D049878:Mytilus / Q000378:metabolism*; D061329:Oil and Gas Fields; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
D015415:Biomarkers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Bioaccumulation; Biomarkers; Gas platforms; Long term monitoring; Mussel Expert System; Mussels