Evaluation of the spatial heterogeneity in marine organic pollution and land-based influencing factors: A case study of the marine area of Laizhou Bay, China

Abstract A spatial quantitative analysis of the organic pollution status of a marine area, Laizhou Bay, was performed based on the organic pollution index, and the socioeconomic impacts of coastal population, agriculture, and industrial production on this marine area in 2014 and 2015 were quantified. The correlations between marine organic pollution and these three land-based factors was evaluated using SPSS and GeoDetector. The results showed that the organic pollution levels in the two years corresponded to class III (starting to become polluted), the organic pollution index values were high in southwestern Laizhou Bay, and the socioeconomic factors had large impacts on the southern and southwestern regions. There was a significant correlation between the marine organic pollution index and the land-based socioeconomic factors. These three land-based factors all increased marine organic pollution risks. Therefore, we can evaluate land-based socioeconomic indicators in coastal areas to study the adjacent marine organic pollution problem in future applications.