Exploratory Analyses for Water Quality of the Gulf of Mexico Basin, Texas, 2005-2014

Abstract

With the increased demand for more water sources, the issues of water quality have become more important. This study presents exploratory data analyses on water quality issues related to the Gulf of Mexico Basin in Texas for the last decade: 2005-2014. Dissolved oxygen, water temperature, specific conductance, PH, transparency, sampling depth and Enterococci observations for the ten years from 2005 to 2014 were analyzed. Statistical testing showed that the observations followed similar distributions between the years. Thus they were combined for each of the variables. Throughout the ten years transparency, water temperature, specific conductance, and Enterococci showed higher variances. Pair-wise correlations were negligible but they had positive spatial autocorrelation. Sampling was constantly conducted in the four months of February, May, August, and November. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen and Enterococci concentrations varied significantly during these four months. Univariate spatial regressions showed that Enterococci is predicted to increase whereas dissolved oxygen, PH, water temperature, specific conductances were predicted to decrease.

Effect of Sea Level Rise and Groundwater Withdrawal on Seawater Intrusion in the Gulf Coast Aquifer: Implications for Agriculture

“…Increased precipitation (with uncertain amounts) is caused by increased water vapor and evaporation associated with warmer temperatures. The change in precipitation varies from one region to another but has resulted in higher risks of flooding, decrease in summer water supply, and decrease of both surface and ground water quality [3] [18]. However, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims that the increase in precipitation in the US is estimated to be 6% whereas it is 2% worldwide [32].…”

“…These lead to socioeconomic effects including displacement, evacuations, and public health issues. These impacts combined with other issues facing coastal communities in Texas and other places in the world, makes it more complicated to mitigate and manage the issues [11]- [18]. Disparity of impacts affect groups of lower income, non-English speakers, and vulnerable age groups (65 years or older, 5 years or younger) [14].…”