What information does the CCME WQI not convey?
It is important when using an index to keep in mind its limitations. While a stock market index is a good indicator of the overall performance of the market, anyone with a stock portfolio will be interested in the performance of individual stocks or stock sectors. An environmental index is similar; it is not intended to replace a detailed analysis of environmental monitoring data, nor should it be used as the only tool for management of water bodies. What it can do is provide a broad overview of environmental performance. Disadvantages of using an index include the loss of information on single variables, the sensitivity of the results to the formulation of the index, and the loss of information on interactions between variables.
