Long-term effects of oil pollution in mangrove forests (Baixada Santista, Southeast Brazil) detected using a GIS-based multitemporal analysis of aerial photographs


Autoria(s): Santos, Luciana Cavalcanti Maia; Cunha-Lignon, Marília; Schaeffer-Novelli, Yara; Cintrón-Molero, Gilberto
Contribuinte(s)

UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO

Data(s)

04/11/2013

04/11/2013

2012

Resumo

Oil spills are potential threats to the integrity of highly productive coastal wetlands, such as mangrove forests. In October 1983, a mangrove area of nearly 300 ha located on the southeastern coast of Brazil was impacted by a 3.5 million liter crude oil spill released by a broken pipeline. In order to assess the long-term effects of oil pollution on mangrove vegetation, we carried out a GIS-based multitemporal analysis of aerial photographs of the years 1962, 1994, 2000 and 2003. Photointerpretation, visual classification, class quantification, ground-truth and vegetation structure data were combined to evaluate the oil impact. Before the spill, the mangroves exhibited a homogeneous canopy and well-developed stands. More than ten years after the spill, the mangrove vegetation exhibited three distinct zones reflecting the long-term effects of the oil pollution. The most impacted zone (10.5 ha) presented dead trees, exposed substrate and recovering stands with reduced structural development. We suggest that the distinct impact and recovery zones reflect the spatial variability of oil removal rates in the mangrove forest. This study identifies the multitemporal analysis of aerial photographs as a useful tool for assessing a system's capacity for recovery and monitoring the long-term residual effects of pollutants on vegetation dynamics, thus giving support to mangrove forest management and conservation.

Identificador

Braz. j. oceanogr.,v.60,n.2,p.159-170,2012

1679-8759

http://www.producao.usp.br/handle/BDPI/40240

10.1590/S1679-87592012000200006

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-87592012000200006&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1679-87592012000200006&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&pid=S1679-87592012000200006&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en

Idioma(s)

eng

Publicador

Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto Oceanográfico

Relação

Brazilian Journal of Oceanography

Direitos

openAccess

Palavras-Chave #Coastal wetland #Remote sensing #Impact assessment #Monitoring #Coastal management #Zona úmida costeira #Sensoriamento remoto #Avaliação de impacto #Monitoramento #Gestão costeira
Tipo

article

original article