Vulnerability assessment of Svalbard intertidal zone for oil spills

A system for estimating a coastʹs vulnerability to oil spills is presented, based on geomorphological maps and environmental data collected in the Svalbard intertidal. Since this European Arctic archipelago is nearly undisturbed and presents a ‘natural environment’, its protection calls for a more detailed approach. As many as 19 factors were selected as important for oil spill assessment in the littoral. All factors have been grouped into different subject categories (physical parameters and biological parameters) and a different rank of importance was given for each factor (principal, important, secondary). Selected coast units may be described with regard to sensitivity to the oil spill by the index of vulnerability counted in each of the two categories. The western (Atlantic) coast has been described as more vulnerable when compared to eastern (Arctic) coasts of the archipelago. The physical parameters and biological parameters indices were often contradictory when vulnerable biota (e.g. rich crustacean assemblages) were connected with relative resistance to the oil spill physical environment (exposed stony beaches).