Mapping the Sensitivity to oil spill of the Santos basin coastline, Southeast Brazil

For the last ten years new offshore oil fields were brought into production in the Santos Basin. This has led to an increase in the processing and transportation of crude oil and its derived products, hence posing new threats to the integrity of coastal environments and human resources. The Brazilian Ministry of Environment responded by coordinating an initiative aimed at mapping the sensitivity to oil spill of the Brazilian coastline. The results for the Santos Basin are presented here, for which the appropriate technologies had to be integrated in order to cover over 1300 km of the coastal environment. A partnership between public and private sectors was established in order to achieve high-quality mapping standards by sharing data and expertise. A total of ten ETM+ Landsat images have been mosaicked and processed using spectral image techniques such as restoration and band fusion. Remote sensing and field data have been organized into a digital database following an object-oriented model devised to allow the retrieval and upgrading of spatial and tabular data. These procedures are now standard practices for mapping the sensitivity to oil spill of other marine basins in Brazil. A total of 44 maps have been produced in three different geographic scales for specific contingency planning and spill scenarios. Paraná state has 82% of its coastline occupied by mangrove vegetation, the most sensitive ecosystem. In contrast, 52% of the Rio de Janeiro coastline are composed of different types of rocky shores, from vertical impermeable substrates to thalus deposits. Rio de Janeiro also has the largest proportion of sandy substrates, with 41% of its coastline. Many other diagnostic information and quantitative analyses can be carried out by querying the available geographic database, which are necessary for any contingency planning and emergency response actions.