The statistical technique used to compare between the control and treatment sites is the t- test for matched pairs. The pair will be the control and treatment data compared for the data sets varying with and without tidal fluctuations. The data is consistent with each test day because variables were the same (i.e. tide, weather) therefore a straight comparison of the data sets over time will not be statistically significant.
Multiple nonlinear regressions were also performed on each parameter to search for possible confounding factors affecting the data. Seasonal variation and tidal fluctuations were considered as key factors influencing the data collected over time.