Risk assessment for marine spills along European coastlines

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Oceanography
• Risk Assessment

Background:

• Marine spills pose a significant threat to European coastal environments.
• Assessing and comparing regional vulnerability to marine spills is crucial for effective policy development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and apply a novel marine-spill risk index for European waters.
• To identify and map coastal regions with high vulnerability to marine spills.
• To inform the design of targeted protection policies.

Main Methods:

• Development of a marine-spill risk index.
• Application of the index to 301 marine spills recorded between 1970 and 2014.
• Analysis of data for 429 Eurostat territorial units and 156 European coastal regions.

Main Results:

• High heterogeneity in marine-spill risk across European coastal regions was observed.
• Atlantic coast areas, especially UK coasts, exhibit the highest risks.
• Sea currents generally show a positive dispersal effect, reducing spill impact.

Conclusions:

• The proposed index effectively measures and compares coastal vulnerability to marine spills.
• The findings highlight the urgent need for enhanced protection measures on the Atlantic coast.
• The index serves as a valuable tool for designing effective marine spill response and prevention strategies.