Determining the possible application value of diatoms as indicators of general water quality: a comparison with SASS 5

• DOI: 10.4314/wsa.v30i3.5080
• Publication Date: 2011-11-30T04:59:58Z
• Authors: PA De la Rey; JC Taylor; A Laas; L Van Rensburg; A Vosloo
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 14. Life underwater; 01 natural sciences; 6. Clean water; Biomonitoring; Diatoms; SASS 5; SPI diatom index; General water quality; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

The applicability of a European numerical diatom index, the Specific Pollution sensitivity Index (SPI), was tested in a river system where the SPI scores were compared both to chemical water quality and to scores yielded using a macro-invertebrate index of riverine health namely the South African Scoring System (SASS 5). This investigation showed that the SPI reflects certain elements of water quality with a high degree of accuracy. Due to the broad species base of SPI, few problems were encountered when using this system in the Southern Hemisphere. The conclusion is that SPI or a similar diatom index will provide a valuable addition to the suite of biomonitoring tools currently in use in South Africa. WaterSA Vol.30 (3) 2004: 325-332