Vulnerability in a Populated Coastal Zone and Its Influence by Oil Wells in Santa Elena, Ecuador

Abstract

The oil industry requires studies of the possible impacts and risks that exploration, exploitation, and industrialization can cause to the environment and communities. The main objective of this study was to assess the vulnerability caused by oil wells of the Salinas and La Libertad cantons in Ecuador by proposing a multi-criteria spatial analysis methodology that would aid in land-use planning and management. The proposed methodology relates the variables of distance, identification of gas emission from oil wells, permeability, and the state of oil wells (DIPS). The methodology consists of: (i) the diagnosis of oilfield wells; (ii) environmental considerations of productive wells, wells in temporary abandonment, and wells in permanent abandonment; (iii) the vulnerability assessment of both intrinsic and extrinsic aspects of the wells; and (iv) the development of a vulnerability map and recommendations for land management. The results showed 462 wells in the study area, of which 92% were shown to be located in urban areas. Of the total, 114 wells were considered to be productive wells, 89% of which are in urban areas. The vulnerability map identified the areas to be addressed, which coincided with coastal and urban areas associated with oil production. Our main recommendation is to elaborate land-use planning regulations and build safety infrastructure around the wells to guarantee their distance from houses, beaches, and tourism-development sites. The vulnerability map was shown to serve as an essential diagnostic for decision making in managing oil territories, especially in coastal areas.

Geomatic Tools in Agricultural Management

“…Different geomatic tools, such as geographic information systems (GIS), are used in agricultural management, which analyze large amounts of spatial data on various topics [5,6]. For example, with other technological tools, GIS analyses the space-time of land use and land cover by agricultural activity [7].…”

Shoreline Delineation from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Imagery for High and Low Tidal States in Data-Deficient Niger Delta Region

“…Globally, there is an increasing need for monitoring the shoreline position in order to track climate change-induced sea-level rises (SLR). Various studies have shown that satellite image analysis is a potentially powerful tool for monitoring coastal shoreline positions [1][2][3][4] as well as shoreline management strategies [5][6][7][8]. Shoreline position information is also crucial for coastal scientists and modellers, who need it to understand sediment transport and assess sediment budgets [9,10], predict the rates of coastal land loss or gain over time [11][12][13][14] and provide measures for assessing coastal vulnerability [7,8,15].…”

Simulation of Wave Propagation Using Finite Differences in Oil Exploration

“…Oil exploration in Ecuador began in the coastal region, with the discovery of large oil reserves, proven by drilling the exploratory well Ancón-1 in 1911. It would be the beginning of oil exploitation in Ecuador [2]. In the 1940s, Shell explored the eastern basin and drilled several wells.…”