Application of multivariate statistical analysis in the assessment of water quality of vlora bay, albania

Aiming to assess the water quality and to evaluate the environmental pollution caused by different anthropogenic factors on Vlora Bay, the physical and chemical parameters were determined at 15 sampling sites during the February 2013. The seawater samples were collected at 7 sampling sites among the bay and 8 sampling sites of Narta and Orikumi Lagoons that are positioned in the Bay. The seawater samples were analyzed for 12 physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, red/ox potential, conductivity, and nutrients content (N-NO3-, N-NO2-, N-NH4+ and P-PO43-). The analytical data were entered into a data matrix and were statistically treated with Descriptive Statistics method and multivariate analysis by using MINITAB 15 software package. Based on the similarity regarding the environmental situation, the sampling stations were classified into 3 main clusters by grouping in the same cluster the stations of the same lagoon and the next one belongs to the samples of the Bay. The principal component analysis identified four principal components that distinguish different factors that affect the environmental situation of Vlora Bay coastal area.