TELECONNECTION PATTERNS OF RIVER WATER QUALITY DYNAMICS BASED ON COMPLEX NETWORK ANALYSIS

Water quality in rivers is influenced by natural factors and human activities that interact in complex and nonlinear ways, which make water quality modeling a challenging task. The concept of complex networks (CN), a recent development in network theory, seems to provide new avenues to unravel the connections and dynamics of water quality phenomenon, including clandestine teleconnections. This study explores the spatial patterns of water quality using CN concepts at both catchment scale and larger national scale. Three major water quality parameters-dissolved oxygen, permanganate index (CODMn), and ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N)-measured weekly for 12 years at 91 monitoring stations across China, are analyzed. The results show that the degree centrality and clustering coefficient values for water quality indicators is DO > NH₃-N > CODMn at both basin scale and national scale. The findings improve understanding of water quality dynamics and suggest new methods for environment system analysis and watershed management.