Open AccessDecision trees to select best response strategies after oil spill in aquatic ecosystems
Author(s) -
Handerson A. A. Lanzillotta,
Márcia Marques
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
linnaeus eco-tech
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2002-8008
DOI - 10.15626/eco-tech.2007.093
Subject(s) - environmental science , fishing , recreation , oil spill , tourism , marine ecosystem , decision tree , decision process , ecosystem , aquatic ecosystem , environmental resource management , business , environmental protection , computer science , fishery , ecology , geography , artificial intelligence , biology , process management , archaeology
The response to spills in aquatic system include decisions that must be taken almostimmediately after the accident has been noticed, Choosing the wrong strategy can result inlarger and sometimes irreversible environmental impacts, which in turn may result in severesocio-economic consequences, such as suspension of fishing practices in the affected areas,impacts on tourism and recreation, etc, Every hour that passes after the accident count, sincethe oil spreads and the weathering processes to begin, This process changing physicalchemical properties and limits the effectiveness of containment, chemical dispersant and insitu burning. If the response is slow to start, dependent on the oil properties, it may sink orreach coastal zones making the impacts even greater, including the generation of largeramounts of oily residues to be dealt with, This paper presents strategic responses that can beundertaken under the format of decision trees, having as the starting point the type of the oilthat has been spilled, Since the most appropriate options are dependent on various variables,including oceanographic and meteorological conditions, the decision trees are seen as one ofmany useful tools that can support decision processes after an incident takes place,