Data gathering guidelines for the mapping of environmental sensitivity to oil spill of the Italian coastlines

Abstract

This paper is part of a project of the Fisica Tecnica Department of "Sapienza" University of Rome and the Italian Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea, to finalize the mapping of the environmental sensitivity to oil spill of the Italian coastlines. Considering that the final aim of this project is to produce a core set of Environmental Sensitivity Indices (ESI) maps for the Italian system of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas, the plan foresees the involvement of the Italian Coastguard for the "in situ" survey, to gather part of the data required for the compilation of the matrices, which are beforehand designed for the evaluation of Environmental Sensitivity Indices (ESI). Therefore, this paper proposes a set of guidelines for the Coastguard Officers in order to obtain unambiguous data for each protected zone and surrounding areas. In particular, the guidelines define univocally the various coastal typologies included in the context of the Mediterranean coastlines, giving a shoreline classification in terms of the sensitivity to oil spills, taking into consideration a number of natural, physical, biological and human factors. The guidelines include for each coastal typology: a short physical description, a possible prediction of oil diffusion and a possible response. Those guidelines have been successfully tested during an "in situ" survey, in the coastlines of Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park. Moreover, the prosecution of the project will offer a clear system for pinpointing ecological, landscape and cultural priorities, for the realization of an effective protection to the areas considered most vulnerable to hydrocarbons spills. © 2008 WIT Press.