Geostatistics for Environmental Scientists

by Richard Webster, Margaret A. Oliver

Geostatistics is essential for modern environmental scientists. Weather and climate vary from place to place, soil varies at every scale at which it is examined, and even man-made attributes - such as the distribution of pollution - vary. The techniques used in geostatistics are ideally suited to the needs of environmental scientists, who use them to make the best of sparse data for prediction, and to plan future surveys when resources are limited.
* Concise but comprehensive introduction to the latest statistical techniques
* Strong emphasis on practical applications throughout
* Illustrated with worked examples from soil surveys
* Coverage of more advanced topics, such as multivariate analysis
* Contains a step-by-step summary of the procedure needed to analyse survey data
Sampling, data screening, spatial covariances, the variogram and its modelling, and spatial prediction by kriging are described in rich detail. At each stage the underlying theory is fully explained, and the rationale behind the choices given, allowing the reader to appreciate the assumptions and constraints involved.
Environmental scentists will find this text an invaluable guide to geostatistics, and the lucid style will suit the needs of advanced undergraduates and graduate students of spatial variation and environmental science.

286 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001