Relationship between water quality and macro-scale parameters (land use, erosion, geology, and population density) in the Siminehrood River Basin

Farshid Bostanmaneshrad; Sadegh Partani; Roohollah Noori; Hans-Peter Nachtnebel; Ronny Berndtsson; Jan Franklin Adamowski

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.244

Relationship between water quality and macro-scale parameters (land use, erosion, geology, and population density) in the Siminehrood River Basin

Sci Total Environ. 2018 Oct 15:639:1588-1600. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.244. Epub 2018 May 29.

Authors

Farshid Bostanmaneshrad¹, Sadegh Partani², Roohollah Noori³, Hans-Peter Nachtnebel⁴, Ronny Berndtsson⁵, Jan Franklin Adamowski⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch (IAU-CTB), Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch (IAU-CTB), Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: s_partani@ut.ac.ir.
³ Department of Environmental Engineering, Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Institute of Water Management, Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Department of Water-Atmosphere-Environment, University of BOKU, A-1190 Vienna, Muthgasse 18, Austria.
⁵ Department of Water Resources Engineering, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University, Box 118, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden.
⁶ Department of Bioresource Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne de Bellevue, H9X 3V6, QC, Canada.

PMID: 29929321
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.244

Abstract

To date, few studies have investigated the simultaneous effects of macro-scale parameters (MSPs) such as land use, population density, geology, and erosion layers on micro-scale water quality variables (MSWQVs). This research focused on an evaluation of the relationship between MSPs and MSWQVs in the Siminehrood River Basin, Iran. In addition, we investigated the importance of water particle travel time (hydrological distance) on this relationship. The MSWQVs included 13 physicochemical and biochemical parameters observed at 15 stations during three seasons. Primary screening was performed by utilizing three multivariate statistical analyses (Pearson's correlation, cluster and discriminant analyses) in seven series of observed data. These series included three separate seasonal data, three two-season data, and aggregated three-season data for investigation of relationships between MSPs and MSWQVs. Coupled data (pairs of MSWQVs and MSPs) repeated in at least two out of three statistical analyses were selected for final screening. The primary screening results demonstrated significant relationships between land use and phosphorus, total solids and turbidity, erosion levels and electrical conductivity, and erosion and total solids. Furthermore, water particle travel time effects were considered through three geographical pattern definitions of distance for each MSP by using two weighting methods. To find effective MSP factors on MSWQVs, a multivariate linear regression analysis was employed. Then, preliminary equations that estimated MSWQVs were developed. The preliminary equations were modified to adaptive equations to obtain the final models. The final models indicated that a new metric, referred to as hydrological distance, provided better MSWQV estimation and water quality prediction compared to the National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index.

Keywords: Erosion; Macro-scale parameters; Micro-scale water quality variables; Multivariate linear regression analysis.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring / methods*
Geology
Iran
Population Density
Rivers / chemistry
Seasons
Water Quality