Science et changements planétaires / Sécheresse
MENUPhysicochemical assessment of the water quality of wadi Kebir-East, and its main tributaries (northeastern Algeria) Volume 22, issue 3, Juillet-Septembre 2011
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- Key words: Algeria, principal component analysis (PCA), water quality
- DOI : 10.1684/sec.2011.0309
- Page(s) : 171-7
- Published in: 2011
Data concerning the water quality of the Kebir-East wadi, which drains a large part of northeastern Algeria and the identification of sources of pollution are required as a first step in water management. In this context, a physico-chemical study was undertaken during the period of 2005-2008 in order to estimate the water quality along the course of the Kebir-East and its main tributaries. An ordination of 15 physico-chemical descriptors for the 23 sampled sites, was carried out using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in order to visualize and facilitate the interpretation of data collected during the three years of study. Using PCA allowed us to assess the water quality of the Kebir-East hydrosystem and to pinpoint the main causes of water degradation.