Rankings of Shorelines of Georgian Black Sea Sector According to the Ecological Sensitivity Index (ESI)

Abstract

Georgia is concidered as one of the best alternative transit countries connecting Asia and Europe. The transportation of oil and oil products from the Caspian and Central Asian regions to European countries is especially significant. This boosts the country’s economy, but it also increases the risk of marine environment pollution from oil hydrocarbons. In response to the risk of oil hydrocarbon pollution, it is necessary to intensify preventive monitoring efforts. This includes assessing the extent of oil hydrocarbon contamination on shores, in coastal waters, and in bottom sediments, as well as identifying and classifying areas along the coastline that are most sensitive to pollution. The division of shorelines into sensitive areas is carried out according to the ecological sensitivity index ESI, wich contains a numeric or alpha-numeric coded description of the shoreline characteristics for each shoreline segment. According to the 10 levels of sesitivity against oil pollution, the shoreline segments are classified from "low" sensitivity ESI 1 to "very high" sensitivity ESI 10, respectively 10 main classes and up to 30 sub-classes are identified. In Georgia coastal area, for the 113 km section from Ganmukhuri to Sarpi, we have identified shoreline segments with 7 main classes and 9 sub-classes of sensitivity. Keywords: Black sea, Georgia, oil, sensitivity, rankings , pollution