title: Analysis of river pollution data from low-flow period by means of multivariate techniques: a case study from the oil-shale industry region, northeastern Estonia.
abstract: The oil-shale industry has created serious pollution problems in northeastern Estonia. Untreated, phenol-rich leachate from semi-coke mounds formed as a by-product of oil-shale processing is discharged into the Baltic Sea via channels and rivers. An exploratory analysis of water chemical and microbiological data sets from the low-flow period was carried out using different multivariate analysis techniques. Principal component analysis allowed us to distinguish different locations in the river system. The riverine microbial community response to water chemical parameters was assessed by co-inertia analysis. Water pH, COD and total nitrogen were negatively related to the number of biodegradative bacteria, while oxygen concentration promoted the abundance of these bacteria. The results demonstrate the utility of multivariate statistical techniques as tools for estimating the magnitude and extent of pollution based on river water chemical and microbiological parameters. An evaluation of river chemical and microbiological data suggests that the ambient natural attenuation mechanisms only partly eliminate pollutants from river water, and that a sufficient reduction of more recalcitrant compounds could be achieved through the reduction of wastewater discharge from the oil-shale chemical industry into the rivers.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, 23 Riia Str., EE-51010 Tartu, Estonia. jtruu@ebc.ee
authors.forename: Jaak
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Truu
authors.forename: Eeva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heinaru
authors.forename: Ene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Talpsep
authors.forename: Ain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heinaru
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004957:Estonia; D007220:Industrial Waste; D007221:Industry; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D010636:Phenols; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical