Temporal-spatial correlation analysis of water quality for Taihu Lake

Based on the monthly data of water quality of the Taihu Lake obtained from 25 monitoring points in 2001 and the spatial distribution of the monitoring points, a study was made on the water quality distribution and its temporal-spatial correlation for the Taihu Lake by use of the correlation coefficient matrix, accompanied with a dynamic cluster analysis of all the monitoring points. The results show that water quality of the Taihu Lake is of high temporal-spatial correlation, and that the evident variation of the correlation of monthly water quality distribution might be related to the water level, water flow and quantity of pollutants discharged into the lake. The result from dynamic cluster analysis can provide abundant and visualized information for domain partition of aquatic environment and for studying mechanism of eutrophication in the Taihu Lake.