Assessment of spatial and temporal water pollution patterns in Aydos River (Turkey) by using water quality index and multivariate statistical methods

Abstract

Küre National Park, which also includes the Aydos River, is Turkey’s First PAN Park (Protected Area Network Parks). The monthly, seasonal, and spatial changes in physicochemical parameters and heavy metals were determined using water quality index (WQI), hierarchical cluster analysis, principal components analysis (PCA), and other statistical methods revealing the water quality characteristics and pollutants. WQI was calculated using parameters constituting the main components of water. It was determined that, according to WHO and SWQR, the water quality of this river varied between high quality and very polluted. The sodium absorption rate, % Na, residual sodium carbonate, and Kelly Ratio results did not exceed the threshold but the water was found to be dangerous in terms of magnesium hazard. In cluster analysis, winter and spring were found to be similar to each other more than autumn and summer. Moreover, with this analysis, the basin was spatially divided into an upper basin and a lower basin. Five main factors were found to be significantly affected by parameters explaining 84.65% of the total variance in PCA. It was found that temperature, anions originating from pesticides and fertilizers, and non-point pollutants originating from heavy metals were the pollution sources of this river. Monitoring is recommended in freshwater management of basins for the future of wildlife.