Factor analysis in the geochemical studies along the Gediz river, Turkey

Water samples collected from 321 sampling points at 1 km intervalsat a site located close to the industrial and geological areas in the Gedizriver were analysed for U, Ra, Na, Mg, Mn, K, Ni, Cd, Co, Pb, Al, Fe, Cr,Zn, Cu and Ca. Heavy metal concentrations in the samples were determined byatomic absorption spectroscopy, laser excited fluorescence, and radon collectorchamber. Factor analysis was used to describe the relationship among 16 elements.Four factors were extracted and they account for 67% of the total variancein the data. These factors are named as industry, sea, agriculture and geology.According to this result, not only industrial plants but also geological structureand agricultural activities were seen to contribute in polluting of the riverwater. Beside, these factors have shown that a lot of agricultural activitiesand a sharp increase in the population of the Gediz basin, and industrialdevelopment related to above reasons speed up pollution of water sources andbecome a potential risk on the unpolluted sources.