Yk. Yung et al., Long-term changes in water quality and phytoplankton characteristics in Port Shelter, Hong Kong, from 1988-1998, MAR POLL B, 42(10), 2001, pp. 981-992
This study analysed monthly physico-chemical and phytoplankton data collect
ed from 10 marine monitoring stations in Port Shelter Hong Kong, from 1988
to 1998. Cluster analysis based on all water quality parameters measured sh
ows that the 10 monitoring stations can be grouped into three clusters: Clu
ster I consists of stations located in Outer Port Shelter; Cluster II consi
sts of stations located in Inner Port Shelter and Cluster III consists of a
single station in Hebe Heaven, a well-sheltered Bay in Inner Port Shelter.
Factor analysis shows high positive loadings for nutrients and nutrient ra
tios in the first two factors of the three clusters, which indicates that t
he stations of the three clusters were primarily grouped according to their
respective nutrient conditions. In Inner Port Shelter, and particularly St
ation PM5 in the sheltered Hebe Haven, the influence of surface runoff and
pollution loading from the surrounding catchment area was apparent. Five st
ations located along a transect from Inner to Outer Port Shelter were selec
ted for trend analysis. An increasing trend for temperature and a decreasin
g trend for pH are observed in all Stations except PM10 which is at the mou
th of Port Shelter. The results of canonical analysis revealed that tempera
ture and pH could also play an important role in determining the density an
d biovolume of the minor algal groups in Port Shelter. (C) 2001 Elsevier Sc
ience Ltd. All rights reserved.