Identification of coastal water quality by self-organizing map in Sanya Bay, South China Sea

A self-organizing map (SOM) was utilized to identify the effects caused by human activities on water quality in Sanya Bay, South China Sea. Spatial pattern is mainly related to anthropogenic activities and hydrodynamic conditions. Water quality in Sanya Bay was divided into two groups by SOM: S1 and S2 were in east parts of Sanya Bay (Sanya River Estuary), which are areas of human activity, while the rest of the monitoring sites were in the south, central and northern parts of Sanya Bay, which are areas that have water exchanges from South China Sea. The results of this study may provide information on spatial patterns in Sanya Bay.