Revealing Patterns in Coastal Water Quality Data using Statistical Analysis

A major impact of eutrophication is the stimulation of algal growth and the production of harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs can have profound negative effects on the environment, which include severe dissolved oxygen depletion, fish kills, discoloration of marine water, beach closures, etc. Owing to the extremely complicated ecological processes, previous research efforts indicate that it is far from accurately unravelling the causality and dynamics of HABs and predicting their occurrence with acceptable accuracy and lead-time. Thus, techniques to better understand the complex interrelated processes in the ecosystem are needed.