title: Spatial assessment and source identification of heavy metals pollution in surface water using several chemometric techniques.
abstract: This study presents the determination of the spatial variation and source identification of heavy metal pollution in surface water along the Straits of Malacca using several chemometric techniques. Clustering and discrimination of heavy metal compounds in surface water into two groups (northern and southern regions) are observed according to level of concentrations via the application of chemometric techniques. Principal component analysis (PCA) demonstrates that Cu and Cr dominate the source apportionment in northern region with a total variance of 57.62% and is identified with mining and shipping activities. These are the major contamination contributors in the Straits. Land-based pollution originating from vehicular emission with a total variance of 59.43% is attributed to the high level of Pb concentration in the southern region. The results revealed that one state representing each cluster (northern and southern regions) is significant as the main location for investigating heavy metal concentration in the Straits of Malacca which would save monitoring cost and time.
  The monitoring of spatial variation and source of heavy metals pollution at the northern and southern regions of the Straits of Malacca, Malaysia, using chemometric analysis.
authors.affiliation: East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Azimah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.affiliation: East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. Electronic address: ekhwan@unisza.edu.my.
authors.forename: Mohd Ekhwan
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Toriman
authors.affiliation: East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Hafizan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Juahir
authors.affiliation: Chemistry Department, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Sharifuddin Md
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Zain
authors.affiliation: East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Nur Liyana Abdul
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Habir
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Division, Department of Chemistry Malaysia, Ministry of Science, Technology and Inovation, Jalan Sultan, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Ananthy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Retnam
authors.affiliation: East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Mohd Khairul Amri
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kamaruddin
authors.affiliation: East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Roslan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Umar
authors.affiliation: East Coast Environmental Research Institute (ESERI), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Gong Badak Campus, 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Azman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azid
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D008296:Malaysia; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D062206:Spatial Analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Chemometric; Heavy metals; Principal component analysis; Source apportionment; Straits of Malacca