Applying Factor Analysis and the CCME Water Quality Index for Assessing Groundwater Quality of an Aegean Island (Rhodes, Greece)

Abstract

Globally, water quality indices (WQIs) are beneficial for evaluating groundwater and surface water quality. The Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI) was combined with the parametric values given by Directive 98/83/EC to investigate the possible suitability of groundwater resources for human consumption on Rhodes Island. Chloride (Cl−), pH, calcium (Ca2+), electrical conductivity (CND), carbonate (CO32−), bicarbonate (HCO3−), potassium (K+), magnesium (Mg2+), sulfate (SO42−), sodium (Na+),nitrate (NO3−), nitrite (NO2−), ammonium (NH4+), and phosphate (PO43−) were included in the dataset applied in this study. Statistical analysis, GIS database, and WQI estimation were successfully used to evaluate the groundwater resources of the study area. All studied groundwater parameters have mean and median values lower than the corresponding parametric values established by Directive 98/83/EC. The high CND values (up to 2730 μs cm−1) in groundwater collected from Rhodes’ coastal aquifers indicate a direct relationship with seawater intrusion. CCME-WQI classifies the groundwater samples for most monitoring stations on Rhodes aquifers as “excellent”, Class 5, for 2019 and 2020. The findings of this study may be helpful for scientists and stakeholders monitoring the study area and applying measures to protect the groundwater resources.

Water Quality Evaluation of Groundwater and Dam Reservoir Water: Application of the Water Quality Index to Study Sites in Greece

“…More specifically, Gikas et al, 2020 evaluated the water quality along the river Nestos basin, with the river sites examined showing poor to marginal water quality and the reservoirs presenting a better classification of moderate to fair for most of the samples [19]. The Rhodes area was examined by Alexakis et al, 2022 who reported that most of the samples evaluated showed excellent water quality, though they pointed out the need for continuous monitoring due to seawater intrusion in the area [20]. Furthermore, Panagopoulos et al, 2022 examined the water quality on 111 rivers in Greece with measurements from a time period of 2018-2020, resulting in fair marginal or poor water quality for the majority of the samples [14].…”

Positive Definiteness of the Sample Covariance Matrix of Multi-poisson Distribution

“…In fact, covariance matrix as an important tool for analyzing problems, one of its major uses is in multivariate statistical analysis. In principal component analysis and factor analysis of multivariate statistical analysis, the characteristic root of covariance matrix is usually used to determine the number of principal components and factor loads [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Moreover, it must be helpful to use the characteristic root of the covariance matrix of sample to decide the number of coordinate in high dimensional projection [22][23][24][25], which is related to the positivity of the covariance matrix of sample.…”

Applying Geophysical and Hydrogeochemical Methods to Evaluate Groundwater Potential and Quality in Middle Egypt

“…Water quality degradation has become a global issue due to its fundamental ability to cause significant changes in the hydrological cycle [1][2][3][4]. Water quality concerns that are complex and diverse require immediate attention.…”

“…There has been widespread interest and response. Intensive anthropogenic activities and rapid economic growth have put additional strain on the environment and ecosystems, resulting in soil and water resource degradation and severely limiting sustainability [2][3][4][5][6]. Pollution in both groundwater and surface water is caused by the presence of chemical substances [3][4][5][6][7][8][9].…”

“…Intensive anthropogenic activities and rapid economic growth have put additional strain on the environment and ecosystems, resulting in soil and water resource degradation and severely limiting sustainability [2][3][4][5][6]. Pollution in both groundwater and surface water is caused by the presence of chemical substances [3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. These chemical components considerably impact whether or not water is appropriate for human consumption as well as industrial and agricultural purposes.…”