Brazil's Oil Boom Town Sinking, Faces Floods - Study
Date: 28-Jun-07
Country: BRAZIL
Author: Andrei Khalip
"It could be water rising or Macae sinking, or the combination of both, but the issue requires urgent attention," Claudia Lellis, head of marine studies at the state-run Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE), told Reuters on Wednesday.
An IBGE study showed the ocean level rising by 37 millimeters (1.46 inches) a year on average in Macae and the land subsiding a total of 15 cm (5.9 inches) between 2001 and 2006. Globally, sea levels are rising by between 1 millimeter and 2 millimeters (0.04 inch and 0.08 inch) annually, partly due to global warming, IBGE said.
Possible reasons for rising water levels are local geological characteristics like active faults near the city's coastline, strong winds and the region's growth affecting local rivers.
"This effect on rivers may be provoked by the city's expansion because of the oil boom," Lellis said, adding that further studies were needed as soon as possible.
Researchers plan to install permanent global positioning system-based sensors to gather more thorough measurements, which would take up to two years to be collected and analyzed.
Macae has boomed since state oil company Petrobras started drilling for crude in the productive Campos basin 30 years ago. Its population has doubled in the last 10 years to 220,000 with the arrival of foreign oil service companies and Brazilians looking for work on rigs.
Macae, some 180 km (112 miles) northeast of Rio de Janeiro, used to be a fishing town. It now boasts half a dozen luxury hotels and many upscale apartment buildings are being built.
"The rising water levels are a concern for Macae city authorities, mainly because of the possibility of major floods," the IBGE said in a statement.