Canonical Correlation Study on the Relationship between Shipping Development and Water Environment of the Yangtze River

The sustainable development of the Yangtze River will affect the lives of the people who live along it as well as the development of cities beside it. This study investigated the relationship between shipping development and the water environment of the Yangtze River. Canonical correlation analysis is a multivariate statistical method used to study the correlation between two groups of variables; this study employed it to analyze data relevant to shipping and the water environment of the Yangtze River from 2006 to 2016. Furthermore, the Yangtze River Shipping Prosperity Index and Yangtze River mainline freight volume were used to characterize the development of Yangtze River shipping. The water environment of the Yangtze River is characterized by wastewater discharge, ammonia nitrogen concentration, biochemical oxygen demand, the potassium permanganate index, and petroleum pollution. The results showed that a significant correlation exists between Yangtze River shipping and the river’s water environment. Furthermore, mainline freight volume has a significant impact on the quantity of wastewater discharged and petroleum pollution in the water environment.