International Journal of Engineering and Technology

The quality of the surface water of Caño Correa and its influence on the coral reefs of the Corales del Rosario and San Bernardo National Natural Park located in the waters of the Colombian Caribbean were analyzed. Multivariate analysis of the water quality data-set was performed through PCA. The statistical analysis showed that the nutrients are at levels close to eutrophication, the solids exceed the levels established by the regulations and the salinity presents abrupt changes in their levels, all these factors affect the health of the marine ecosystems. The principal component analysis identified four components that explain 67.27% of the total variance of the data. The first factor represents the agroindustrial contribution, the second factor represents pollution by minerals and organic matter, the third factor is due to wastewater-fertilization and the fourth factor is clearly microbiological.