SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC INFLUENCES ON NITRATE CONCENTRATION IN SHALLOW GROUNDWATERS. CASE STUDY: RUSCOVA VALLEY, MARAMUREŞ MOUNTAINS (ROMANIA)
Journal Title: Revue Roumaine de Géographie/Romanian Journal of Geography - Year 2016, Vol 60, Issue 1
Abstract
In many rural areas of Romania groundwaters stand out as the main sources for water supply. As a result, the assessment of the shallow aquifer of Ruscova Valley (Maramureş Mountains) is an important research direction since the nitrates are considered some of the major causes of deteriorating water quality, with influences on the human health. The outcomes of this paper relied on data collected from field surveys (water samples) combined with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and statistical assessment of the existing and derived spatial data. In addition to nitrate concentration, determined in 26 water samples, several parameters were measured during the field surveys: water pH, temperature, depth to water and altitude of the sample point. Moreover, several environmental and anthropogenic potential explanatory factors for nitrate concentration were analysed: depth to water, land use/land cover, lithology, soil texture, number of households and population density. In order to reveal the relationship between the nitrate concentration and this explanatory factors the authors used a multiple linear regression (MLR). Spatial and statistical analysis were realised for three buffering zones (100 m, 200 m, 300 m) created around each water sample in order to identify and quantify the role of the explanatory factors at various scales. Finally, through regression analysis it was possible to determine which datasets explain better the nitrate concentration in the shallow groundwater.
Authors and Affiliations
GHEORGHE KUCSICSA, VASILE POPOVICI
Keywords
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