Aplicação de técnicas de geoprocessamento para análise da vulnerabilidade costeira na área entre o Cabo de São Roque e a foz do rio Maxaranguape, no município de Maxaranguape/RN

Abstract

Coastal erosion and flooding are process that directly affect cities near the coastline, causing significant economic, social and environmental damages. Some impacts include land and coastal infrastructure loss, loss of habitats and biodiversity, economic and tourism disruptions, and risks to safety and helth. The study area is located in the coastal zone of Barra de Maxaranguape, on the eastern coast of the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), where the city stands out for its economic activities along or near the shoreline, linked to both domestic and international tourism, as well as temporary occupancy by local vacationers. However, due to unplanned growth resulting from permanent and temporary residential occupation and commercial use for tourism over the past three decades, without prior planning or coastal dynamics studies, it is estimated that the situation may worsen over the years. Thus, the main objective of this study is to diagnose the region using geoprocessing tools and numerical modeling of coastal vulnerability under future scenarios to provide a reference for decision-making in mitigation and implementing preventive measures against erosion and flooding damages. The metodology includes the extraction of shoreline data from satellite images (LANDSAT series for multi-decadal and decadal analysis and SENTINEL-2 images for high-resolution analysis), sediment balance analysis using the CASSIE tool, and the application of the Coastal Vulnerability module in InVEST. The results showed that critical areas exhibit high susceptibility to erosion and flooding process, especially in regions with greater human occupation, highlighting the influence of anthropogenic variables on the environment. Simulations indicated that the rise in mean sea level could exacerbate coastal vulnerability, compromising infrastructure and local ecosystems. However, it was noted that there were no significant discrepancies beteween the results from the analyses using LANDSAT and SENTINEL-2 satellite images.