Mapping of environmental sensitivity index to oil spill from Landsat TM images: "A study case on the Amazon coastal plain"

Abstract

The environmental sensitivity index (ESI) is represented by a scale ranging from 1 to 10, where the intensity of the impact caused by the oil spill is specified and, the higher the value the higher the sensitivity index. Oil spills impact the environment and are not exclusive to certain regions of the world. Therefore, the production of maps representing the ESI has become important for the implementation of contingency and emergency plans. Curuçá city, located in northeastern Pará state, does not have a map of semi-detailed environmental sensitivity, for that reason, this study aimed to generate a tactical map, scale of 1:100,000, with recognition of coastal environments identified by digital processing of Landsat images and field surveys. The map will help identify the areas more prone to suffer from a possible oil spill. Thus, eight indices were classified as follows: ESI 1B retaining wall, ESI 1C cliffs, ESI 3A sandy beaches and exposed dunes, ESI 7 sandy tidal flat, ESI 9 ebb tide delta, ESI 10A salt marsh, ESI 10B freshwater marsh and ESI 10 mangrove. Finally, the ESI represented in these maps can support the decision making process to prevent and control accidents that may happen during oil production and transportation. Benefits may reflect on lower costs of cleaning and restoration of the impacted areas in case of oil and other potentially harmful load spills.