Block 1 Forum 6 Remote Sensing applied to Environmental Studies on Coastal Oil Exploration Areas: Carana Field Cear, Brazil

il OCEANSAT TECNOLOGIA ESPACIAL PARA MONITORAMENTO AMBIENTAL The environmental characterization is essential to guarantee the environment sustainability in locations where oil activities take place, since the physical, biologic and socioeconomic features of the surrounding area are evaluated before the installation of the activity. The remote sensing represents a valuable tool to environmental studies for many reasons: besides covering larger areas, it allows for the acquisition of different kind of data through the same image, with acceptable delay; and it gives the possibility of building a seasonal characterization of the area by the comparison of several images of the same area. In Carana field study, environmental diagnosis was used to support licensing process. Data obtained by different remote sensors were used: Scaterometer onboard of ERS-2, for wind fields; AVHRR at NOAAs satellite, for sea surface temperature charts (SST); and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) at Landsat7, for coastal geomorphology, land use and environmental sensitivity charts. The oil exploration area is located in Potiguar Basin, at Carauna Field. The EIA/RIMA includes project details and the environmental diagnosis of the area, with physical, biological and socioeconomic characterizations. The studied area is located in the coastal area between Fortaleza (CE) and Areia Branca (RN), including historical and field campaign data. Considering the environmental data available and the oil characteristics, oil spill models were used to define the area to be included in an environmental sensitivity map. The prospective impacts of the project were analyzed to allow for the definition of pollution control and environmental monitoring procedures, which were included in EIA/RIMA as Environmental Programs. The socioeconomic information was considered to define procedures to minimize social impacts. To generate the Land Use and Occupation Map of the Carana Oil Field, which is part of the Environmental Impact Assesment / Environmental Impact Report required by Brazilian Environmental Agency (IBAMA) to license offshore oil activities, it was used an image collected by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper sensor (ETM+), at Landsat7 satellite. Beyond the reduced costs, the advantages of using satellite images are: precision (since the images are georeferenced), and easy update of data if this data is on a Geographic Information System (GIS). By using these tools, an enviromental characterization using distinct scale can be used, also increasing the cost-benefit relation, optmizing field campaings. The possibility of a continued data acquisition for the study area through a continuous period of time assure the remote sensing as a most useful tool in environmental characterization and environmental monitoring, supporting the development of sustainable oil activities and also the planning of environmental managing programs.