Methodological Development of an Index of Coastal Water Quality: Application in a Tourist Area

摘要

With the aim of obtaining an index of coastal water quality, methodological procedure based on numerical classification and discriminant analysis is presented. The pro- cedure was applied to nutrient data (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate) analyzed along the coastal waters of a Span- ish tourist area. Using numerical classification, three levels of nutient loading were revealed, characterizing oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and potentially eutrophic waters.