Abstract
Chemical, biological and physical data monitored at 12 locations along the Passaic River, New Jersey, during the year 1998 are analyzed. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used: (i) to extract the factors associated with the hydrochemistry variability; (ii) to obtain the spatial and temporal changes in the water quality. Solute content, temperature, nutrients and organics were the main patterns extracted. The spatial analysis isolated two stations showing a possible point or non-point source of pollution. This study shows the importance of environmental monitoring associated with simple but powerful statistics to better understand a complex water system.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 179-195 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Journal of Hazardous Materials |
Volume | 100 |
Issue number | 1-3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 27 2003 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Environmental Engineering
- Environmental Chemistry
- Waste Management and Disposal
- Pollution
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Keywords
- Discharge
- Drought
- New Jersey
- Passaic River
- Principal component analysis
- Water quality