ANALYZING CORRELATIONS BETWEEN STREAM AND WATERSHED ATTRIBUTES1

ABSTRACT: Bivariate correlation analysis has been widely used to explore relationships between stream and watershed attributes that have all been measured on the same set of watersheds or sampling locations. Researchers routinely test H₀: ρ= 0 for each correlation in a large table and then go on to discuss only those that are declared “significant.” Such test results are inaccurate because no allowance is made for multiple testing, and also because the tests are not mutually independent. This paper reviews the Bonferroni approach to controlling the overall error rate in multiple testing and shows how the approach becomes impractical for large correlation tables. The Hotelling/Williams test is introduced for comparing two dependent correlations that share a variable, and numerical constraints for two such correlations are illustrated. References are also given for testing other hypothesized patterns among dependent correlations, and links to dependent correlation software are provided. The methods are illustrated for watershed and stream variables sampled in 23 small agricultural watersheds of the Willamette Valley, Oregon.     

Study of Pollution of the Plitvice Lakes by Water and Sediment Analyses

The process of eutrophication in form of intense plant growth has been observed in some lakes and water streams at the Plitvice Lakes National Park in central Croatia. Here we investigate whether this phenomenon is a consequence of anthropogenic pollution or due to naturally produced organic matter in the lakes. We applied chemical analysis of water at two springs and four lakes (nutrients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), trace elements) and measurements of surface lake sediments (mineral and organic fraction analyses, trace elements) in four different lakes/five sites. The chemical composition of water does not indicate recent anthropogenic pollution of water because the concentrations of most trace elements are below detection limits. The concentrations of DOC and nutrients are slightly higher in the area of increased eutrophication-plant growth. Also the content of organic matter in the sediment is at the highest level in areas with highest C/N ratio indicating that the organic fraction of this sediment is mainly of terrestrial origin. There is no significant difference among the trace element concentration in the upper segment of all cores, deposited approximately during last 50 years when higher anthropogenic influence is expected due to development and touristic activity, and the lower part of the cores, corresponding to the period approximately 100–200 years before present. The content of trace elements and organic matter in sediments decreases from the uppermost lake downstream. According to our results there is no indication of recent anthropogenic pollution in water and sediment. Higher concentrations of DOC in water as well as phosphorus and some other elements in the lake sediment can be a consequence of input of natural organic matter to the lake water.     

Application of a health promotion model to community-based sustainability planning

The future of human health and that of all other species depends on the viability and sustainability of a host of environments and ecosystems. Human behaviours have profound effects (both positive and negative) on such ecosystems. Despite the obviousness of these statements, there remains a lack of clarity around the mechanisms for altering specific behaviours related to sustainability and their impact on environments. This paper offers a conceptual framework for identifying relations between human behaviour and ecosystem health and sustainability. We also discuss strategies for changing target behaviours in the context of a programme or policy planning. Finally, we draw on research that applies this adaptation to a small island community near Vancouver, Canada.