title: Identifying spatial and seasonal patterns of river water quality in a semiarid irrigated agricultural Mediterranean basin.
abstract: A detailed understanding of the study area is essential to achieve key information and optimize the monitoring, analysis, and evaluation of water quality of natural ecosystems that have been highly transformed into agricultural areas. Using classification techniques like the hierarchical cluster analysis (CA) and partial triadic analysis (PTA), we assessed the sources of water pollution and the seasonal influence of human activities in water composition in a river basin from northeastern Spain. The results suggested that a strong connection existed between water quality and the seasonality of the human activities. The CA showed the spatial relationship between water chemistry and the adjacent land uses. The PTA associated the analyzed variables to their pollutant source. Electrical conductivity (EC), Cl(-), SO4(2-)-S, Na(+), and Mg(2+) ions were related with agricultural sources, whereas NH4(+)-N, PT, and PO4(3-)-P were linked with urban polluted sites. Concentration of NO3(-)-N was associated with urban land use. Differences in water composition according to the irrigation intensity were also found during the irrigation season. The statistical tools used in this work, especially the PTA, allowed us to jointly analyze the spatial and seasonal components of water pollutant trends. We obtained a more comprehensive knowledge of water quality patterns in the study area, which will be essential when taking measures to minimize the effects of water pollution.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Av. Nuestra Señora de la Victoria s/n, 22700, Jaca, Huesca, Spain. darwiche@ipe.csic.es.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Darwiche-Criado
authors.affiliation: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Av. Nuestra Señora de la Victoria s/n, 22700, Jaca, Huesca, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.affiliation: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Av. Montañana 1005, 50192, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Comín
authors.affiliation: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Av. Montañana 1005, 50192, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sorando
authors.affiliation: INPT, UPS, ECOLAB (Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement), Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Toulouse (ENSAT), Université de Toulouse, Avenue de l'Agrobiopole BP 32607 Auzeville Tolosane, 31326, Castanet Tolosan Cedex, France.|CNRS, ECOLAB (Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle), 31326, Castanet Tolosan Cedex, France.
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Pérez
mesh_terms: D057914:Agricultural Irrigation; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005618:Fresh Water; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012621:Seasons; D013030:Spain; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Agricultural intensification; Irrigation; Land use; Partial triadic analysis; Spatial analysis; Water quality