Study on physico-chemical characteristics of water in the southern of Caspian Sea

In this study, the characteristics of physico-chemical parameters of water done in coastal part of the southern Caspian Sea during 2010-2011 (four seasons) in 8 transects (Astara, Anzali, Sefidrour, Tonkabon, Noshahr, Babolsar, Amirabad and Torkman). For measurement of water quality parameters, 480 samples were collected in different water layers by using of APHA standards methods. According to modeling and statistical methods was used multivariate for evaluation of factor analysis (MFA) in general groups and discriminant analysis (MDA) for spatial and temporal with water quality parameters. The statistical procedure of MFA was used for data reduction and finally six factors selected with about 80.48 percent of total variances related to them. The statistical procedures of MDA were used for the role of spatial and temporal of water quality parameters in different water layer. The function one gave eight parameters (pH, salinity, EC, DO, NO^3-, water temperature, NH^4+ and N^-total) affording more than 80, 67, 80, 77 and 71 % correct assignations (return to the same transects) in spatial analysis. In all transects during four seasons, function one gave five parameters (water temperature, salinity, EC, NO^2- and NH^4+) to afford 100, 100, 100, 97 and 97 % correct assignations in temporal analysis. The results showed that, the average amounts in light penetration layers during four seasons were for EC(15.04±0.18ms/cm), pH(8.38±0.01unit), salinity (10.31±0.16g/l), DO(5.67±0.09ml/l) and water temperature (18.28 ±0.72°C). The average amount of nutrients for parameters such as organic and inorganic phosphorus, total phosphorus, NO^2-, NO^3-, NH^4+, N^-Total and SiO_2 were 0.50±0.02, 0.32±0.01, 0.82±0.02, 1.76±0.10, 0.10±0.01, 1.51±0.10, 46.82±1.80 and 8.60±0.29µM, respectively. The average amounts in dark layers during four seasons were for EC (15.46±0.38ms/cm), pH (8.34±0.03unit), salinity (10.70±0.35g/l), DO (4.55±0.13ml/l) and water temperature (9.62 ±0.16°C). The average amount of nutrients for parameters such as organic and inorganic phosphorus, total phosphorus, NO^2-, NO^3-, NH^4+, N^-Total and SiO_2 were 0.54 ±0.05, 0.33 ±0.02, 0.87±0.06, 1.92±0.21 , 0.08± 0.01, 1.55±0.25, 45.10±3.25 and 10.05±0.62 µM, respectively. The average amounts of light penetration in all transects during four seasons 4.49±0.38 meters. The maximum light penetrations during spring, summer, fall and winter seasons were 9, 8, 8.20 and 7 meters, respectively. The maximum water temperatures in light and dark layers were 32.36 and 11.50°C. Also, the maximum differences about thermocline temperature during summer and fall seasons were 19.6°C and 10°C, respectively in southern part of Caspian Sea. Data in spatial analysis were not significant (p>0.05), it means if add or removed any transect did not change occurred. But in temporal analysis were significant (p