A socioeconomic and natural vulnerability index for oil spills in an Amazonian harbor: a case study using GIS and remote sensing.
The coastal zone of the Brazilian state of Maranhão is an area characterized by a large variety of human activities and services, in particular in the Itaqui-Bacanga port complex (IBC). The IBC is an area prone to oil spills resulting from the processes of transportation, storage, and tank cleaning. The present study aimed to map the different physical environments adjacent to this complex and the socioeconomic profile of the local population that would be most vulnerable to this type of disaster. Vulnerability studies are essential as one of the first step in the development of an integrated coastal zone management. The variables analyzed in this study included geomorphological units, and the income, education, and dependence on fishing of the local population. The estimate of the vulnerability index was based on the relationships between these variables, which were used to generate a vulnerability map using GIS and the interpretation of high-resolution remote sensing, showing the areas of highest priority for intervention in the case of oil spills. The analysis of the natural and socioeconomic environments indicated that the areas of highest vulnerability correspond to the mangroves and the Vila Nova and Alto da Esperança neighborhoods, respectively. These neighborhoods have a direct relationship with fishing, and low levels of both income and education. By contrast, the lowest vulnerability was attributed to the coastal plateau and the central Anjo da Guarda neighborhood, which is occupied by residents with relatively high income and education, who do not depend on fishing.
de Andrade
Milena Marília Nogueira
MM
Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Geociências, Laboratório de Análises de Imagens do Trópico Umido, Caixa-Postal 8608 Belém, Pará, Brazil. milenamarilia@yahoo.com.br
Szlafsztein
Claudio Fabian
CF
Souza-Filho
Pedro Walfir M
PW
Araújo
Adrilayne Dos Reis
Ados R
Gomes
Monique Kelly Tavares
MK
D001938:Brazil; D004190:Disasters; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005398:Fisheries; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D010578:Petroleum; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014876:Water Pollution
D010578:Petroleum