The Svalbard intertidal zone: A concept for the use of GIS in applied oil sensitivity, vulnerability and impact analyses

Historical oil spills have shown that environmental damage on the seashore can be measured by acute mortality of single species and destabilisation of the communities. The biota, however, has the potential to recover over som e period of time. Applied to the understanding of the fate of oil and popul ation and community dynamics, the impact can be described by the function o f the following two factors: the immediate extent and the duration of damag e, A simple and robust mathematical model is developed to describe this pro cess in the Svalbard intertidal, Based on the integral of key biological an d physical factors, i.e,, community specific sensitivity, oil accumulation and retention capacity of the substrate, ice-cover and wave exposure, the m odel is implemented by a Geographical Information System (GIS) for characte risation of the habitat's sensitivity and, vulnerability. Geomorphologic ma ps and georeferenced biological data are used as input. Digital maps of int ertidal zone are compiled, indicating the shoreline sensitivity and vulnera bility in terms of coastal segments and grid aggregations. Selected results have been used in the national assessment programme of oil development in the Barents Sea for priorities in environmental impact assessments and risk analyses as well as oil spill contingency planning. (C) 2000 Elsevier Scie nce Ltd. All rights reserved.