Seychelles Plateau's oil spill vulnerability.

Small Island Developing States, such as Seychelles, are highly susceptible to oil pollution incidents, with limited infrastructure for detection and mitigation. While an oil spill could significantly impact Seychelle's tourism industry, contributing to ~40% of its GDP, the archipelago's vulnerability remains largely unknown. Here, we developed a high-resolution ocean circulation model for Seychelles Plateau, simulating currents over three years (2018-2020) to model oil spill dispersal to six ecologically and economically significant coastal areas. Our findings reveal distinct seasonality in offshore risk distribution, driven by seasonal fluctuations in atmospheric and oceanic circulations. We show that an oil spill originating from any part of the plateau could potentially impact a sensitive coastal site in less than five days. By identifying high-risk areas, including the major north-south shipping route, we emphasize the importance of close satellite and airborne monitoring for early warnings to protect Seychelles' coastal ecosystems and tourism industry.