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Title: Effective use of field screening techniques in environmental investigations: A multivariate geostatistical approach

Conference ·
OSTI ID:495397
 [1];  [2]
  1. Dames and Moore, Inc., Atlanta, GA (United States)
  2. Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta, GA (United States). School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Environmental investigations typically entail broad data gathering efforts which include field screening surveys and laboratory analyses. Although usually collected extensively, data from field screening surveys are rarely used in the actual delineation of media contamination. On the other hand, laboratory analyses, which are used in the delineation, are minimized to avoid potentially high cost. Multivariate geostatistical techniques, such as indicator cokriging, were employed to incorporate volatile organic screening and laboratory data in order to better estimate soil contamination concentrations at an underground storage tank site. In this work, the direct and cross variographies are based on a multi-scale approach. The results indicate that soil gas measurements show good correlations with laboratory data at large scales. These correlations however, can be masked by poor correlations at micro-scale distances. Consequently, a classical direct correlation analysis between the two measured values is very likely to fail. In contrast, the presented multi-scale co-estimation procedure provides tools for a cost-effective and reliable assessment of soil contamination based on a combined use of laboratory and field screening data.

OSTI ID:
495397
Report Number(s):
CONF-950159-; ISBN 0-8031-2414-7; TRN: IM9731%%90
Resource Relation:
Conference: Geostatistics for environmental and geotechnical applications, Phoenix, AZ (United States), 26-27 Jan 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Geostatistics for environmental and geotechnical applications; Rouhani, S.; Srivastava, R.M.; Desbarats, A.J.; Cromer, M.V.; Johnson, A.I. [eds.]; PB: [290] p.; ASTM special technical publication, 1283
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English