Integrated environmental quality monitoring around an underground methane storage station.
The study reports an integrated environmental quality monitoring of a 100 km2 area in central Italy mostly occupied by an underground station of methane storage, working since 1982. The nitrogen oxides, ozone and isoprene concentration detached with a network monitoring of passive filters were compared with the results of lichens biomonitoring. Data from the two monitorings were in accordance: there was an inversely correlation between lichen biodiversity index (IBL) and NOx (-0.96) and ozone (-0.80), and a positive correlation between IBL and isoprene (0.67). IBL indicated that the area ranged between medium naturalness and medium alteration status, values fully compatible with the medium-high level of eutrophication, caused by intensive agriculture. Only two areas were in high alteration status, due to their proximity to glass factories and to a quarries area. Despite almost thirty years of activity, the environment quality of the area around the station did not show signs of declining.
['Pieri|Linda|L|', 'Vignudelli|Marco|M|', 'Bartolucci|Fabrizio|F|', 'Salvatorelli|Fiorenzo|F|', 'Di Michele|Cesare|C|', 'Tavano|Nicola|N|', 'Rossi|Paola|P|', 'Dinelli|Giovanni|G|']
D000393:Air Pollutants D058448:Biota D002070:Butadienes D004784:Environmental Monitoring D045782:Hemiterpenes D007558:Italy D008011:Lichens D008697:Methane D009589:Nitrogen Oxides D010126:Ozone D010420:Pentanes
Italy Lichens Biomonitoring Air quality Natural gas