The first campaign of the MEFISTO project was successfully carried out off the coast of Grado

The first measurement campaign on the "Trezze" in the area of Grado as part of the PRIN 2022 PNRR MEFISTO project, coordinated by the OGS and carried out in collaboration with the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology - INGV, came to an end a few days ago.

The main objective of the MEFISTO project is to determine the actual contribution of the coastal marine environment to the methane budget of the atmosphere by combining already consolidated physico-chemical and molecular approaches with innovative methods such as passive hydroacoustics to determine which factors influence the release of methane into the atmosphere. this natural gas.
The Grado Coast Guard provided very valuable logistical support during the sampling days and enabled the successful completion of the activities at sea.

A second measurement campaign will be carried out in the area in winter 2025 to investigate the role of seasonality in changing the dynamics of methane and microbial communities.