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Linking multivariate statistical methods and water quality indices to evaluate the natural and anthropogenic geochemical processes controlling the water quality of a tropical watershed

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Abstract

The improvement of water management requires monitoring techniques that accurately evaluate water quality status and detect the effects of land use changes on water chemistry. This study aimed to evaluate how multivariate statistical methods and water quality indices can be applied together to evaluate the processes controlling water chemical composition and the overall water quality status of a tropical watershed. Thirty-four water samples were collected in the Formoso River basin, located on the border of the Amazon Forest. Water parameters were measured in situ using a multiparameter and in the lab using spectroscopic and volumetric techniques. The water quality dataset was interpreted through principal component analysis, multivariate linear regression, and water quality indices. Statistical methods allowed us to identify the sources and geochemical processes controlling water quality chemistry, which were carbonate dissolution, runoff/erosion, nutrient input due to anthropogenic activities, and redox reactions in flooded zones. They were also used to create linear functions to evaluate the effects of land use changes on the geochemical processes controlling water chemistry. Conversely, the water quality indices provide information about the overall condition of the water. The Weight-Arithmetic Quality Index correctly evaluates water suitability for its multiple uses, according to the Brazilian guidelines. Conversely, the Ontario Water Quality Index is not suitable to evaluate the water quality of tropical rivers, since the usual higher water temperature and the low oxygen contents associated with tropical environments result in biased water quality evaluations by this index.

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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thanks Timothy Mulholland for grammar check of the manuscript and Sebastião Tavares dos Reis for supporting field activities.

Funding

This work was supported by Universidade Federal do Tocantins (Edital Universal 30/2020 PROPESQ/UFT).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Águas e Efluentes e Laboratório de Análises Ambientais - Química Ambiental, Universidade Federal de Tocantins, Rua Badejós, Lote 7, Chácaras 69/72, Gurupi, Tocantins, 77402-970, Brazil

    Débora Francisca Morais da Silva, Letícia Mariana Lopes da Silva & Daniel Santos Mulholland

  2. Laboratório de Geoquímica - Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Riberio, , Brasília, Distrito Federal, 70910-900, Brazil

    Jeremie Garnier

  3. Ifremer, CCEM-Contamination Chimique des Ecosystèmes Marins, F-44000, Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), France

    Daniel Ferreira Araújo

Authors
  1. Débora Francisca Morais da Silva
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  2. Letícia Mariana Lopes da Silva
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  3. Jeremie Garnier
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  4. Daniel Ferreira Araújo
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  5. Daniel Santos Mulholland
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Contributions

Débora Francisca Moraes da Silva and Daniel Santos Mulholland contributed to the study's conception and design. Material preparation, sample collection, and field measurements were performed by Daniel Santos Mulholland., Débora Francisca Moraes da Silva and Letícia Mariana Lopes da Silva. Sample analyses were performed by Jeremie Garnie, Daniel Santos Mulholland, Débora Francisca Moraes da Silva, Daniel Ferreira Araújo and Letícia Mariana Lopes da Silva. All authors worked on data interpretation and discussion. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Débora Francisca Moraes da Silva and Daniel Santos Mulholland. All authors commented on and reviewed the previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Daniel Santos Mulholland.

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da Silva, D.F.M., da Silva, L.M.L., Garnier, J. et al. Linking multivariate statistical methods and water quality indices to evaluate the natural and anthropogenic geochemical processes controlling the water quality of a tropical watershed. Environ Monit Assess 195, 1240 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11889-0

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