Title: Correlation of water quality indicators for coastal marshes

Authors: Matthew Lee Hendrix; Kamal Tawfiq; Gang Chen

Addresses: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida State University, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA ' Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida State University, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA ' Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Florida State University, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA

Abstract: Encompassing 68,000 acres spread out between Wakulla, Jefferson, and Taylor counties along the Gulf Coast of northwest Florida, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1931 to provide wintering habitat for migratory birds. This study evaluated the water quality of coastal marshes at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in terms of coliform and chlorophyll a, along with dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, conductivity, and total suspended solid. Coliform and chlorophyll a were correlated to water physical and chemical parameters based on statistical analysis. Coliform showed direct correlations with turbidity. However, chlorophyll a displayed no correlation with turbidity. Instead, chlorophyll a had a correlation with pH. With the increase of pH, chlorophyll a exponentially decreased.

Keywords: coastal marshes; water quality; coliform; chlorophyll a; water pollution; USA; United States; wintering habitats; dissolved oxygen; temperature; pH; conductivity; total suspended solids; TSS; turbidity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJW.2015.070360

International Journal of Water, 2015 Vol.9 No.3, pp.263 - 274

Received: 06 Aug 2013
Accepted: 17 Dec 2013
Published online: 03 Jul 2015 *

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