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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Pollution
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1481868

Evaluation of the Vulnerability of Huanghe Estuary Coastal Wetlands to Marine Oil Spill Stress

Provisionally accepted
Xiao Zhang Xiao Zhang 1,2*Chunchang Zhang Chunchang Zhang 3Xiao Chen Xiao Chen 4Penghao Su Penghao Su 5
  • 1 Yantai University, Yantai, China
  • 2 School of Ocean, Yantai University, Yantai, Shandong Province, China
  • 3 Merchant Marine College, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, China
  • 4 College of Information Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
  • 5 Shanghai Maritime University, pudong, Shanghai, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The Huanghe Estuary, which is characterized by dynamic hydrological and ecological processes, is highly susceptible to marine oil spills due to dense maritime traffic and extensive industrial activities. This study evaluated the vulnerability of estuarine wetlands in the Huanghe Estuary to oil spill stress using the Pressure-Situation-Sensitivity-Recovery (PSSR) framework. By employing the Geographic Information System (GIS) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), this study categorized the vulnerability index (0-1) into five classes: Very Low (0-0.098), Low (0.098-0.125), , and Very High (0.224-1). The results indicate that the ships indicator has the highest weight, followed by oil rigs. In contrast, the number of chemical splash-proof suits and tugboats have the lowest weights. Wetland vulnerability under oil spill stress exhibited significant spatial variation, with higher vulnerability observed in areas closer to the coastline, such as the eastern part of Kenli County, the northern part of Wudi County, and the northern part of Hekou District. This study underscores the need for targeted measures and enhanced monitoring to mitigate the risks of large oil spills and protect the ecological integrity of the Huanghe Estuary. The findings presented herein provide critical information that will help policymakers and environmental managers implement effective conservation strategies and risk mitigation efforts in this ecologically sensitive and economically important region.

    Keywords: Susceptibility analysis, PSSR framework, GIS, AHP, Risk mitigation

    Received: 16 Aug 2024; Accepted: 23 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Zhang, Chen and Su. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xiao Zhang, Yantai University, Yantai, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.