Search results for "GEOSTATISTICS"
showing 10 items of 37 documents
Data quality oriented procedure, for detailed mapping of heavy metals in urban topsoil as an approach to human health risk assessment
2021
Abstract Urban soils' health is important to the community because of the soils' potential use for recreational activities. A data quality-oriented approach to sampling design is proposed for performing soil representative surveys that gives support to defensible and statistically-based decisions. Krowoderski park in Cracow (Poland) was selected as a study case to investigate heavy metals (HMs) accumulation and to assess human risk exposure according to simulated scenarios. Statistical power was computed for optimizing the number of samples to compare HMs concentration against legal upper tolerance levels (LUTL). The samples' location was iteratively designed as random spatial distribution …
Heavy metals in urban soils: a case study from the city of Palermo (Sicily), Italy.
2002
Concentrations of V, Mn, Cd, Zn, Ni, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Hg and Sb were measured on 70 topsoil samples collected from green areas and parks in the city of Palermo (Sicily) in order to: (1) assess the distribution of these heavy metals in the urban environment; (2) discriminate natural and anthropic contributions; and (3) identify possible sources of pollution. Mineralogy, physico-chemical parameters, and major element contents of the topsoils were determined to highlight the influence of 'natural' features on the heavy metal concentrations and their distribution. Medians of Pb, Zn, Cu and Hg concentrations of the investigated urban soils are 202, 138, 63 and 0.68 mgkg(-1), respectively. These v…
Geostatistic study of salt distribution in “laguna de Salinas”. Alicante. Spain
1999
The distribution of different types of salts and the dynamic processes leading to their distribution in a playa saltlake of 3x2 Km wide, were drawn using statistics and geostatistics of the data obtained by augering the soil at different depths, following a regular square grid sampling scheme. The lake is now colonised by Halophytes which density corresponds inversely with the salinity gradient, although the main surface of the lake remains bare.
Fine-scale spatial variability of soil organic carbon and related environmental variables in a protected area of Sicily, Italy
2008
The institution of Natural Reserves has promoted, in Italy, the conservation and the environmental improvement of several areas and their physical and biological factors. Agriculture, forestry and every human activity are regulated to preserve their high ecological and naturalistic value. Land use, in particular, must follow careful rules to preserve the soil fertility and to limit the factors of landscape degradation. Maps of soil organic carbon (SOC) or soil organic matter (SOM) are of interest for agricultural management, resulting a very important soil fertility parameter, as well as in environmental policy related to the terrestrial sequestration of atmospheric carbon. Thus, a better u…
Multivariate geostatistics for assessing and predicting soil compaction
2005
The aim of this research is to investigate the potential of geostatistical techniques for understanding and evaluating the spatial variability of soil compaction, caused by the traffic of agricultural machines and/or the action of tillage implements. Soil cone penetrometer resistance was measured in a field of inland Sicily, along a transect of 3 m length, from the soil surface until 70 cm depth. The 3D mean maps showed a random variation on the surface and a high spatial correlation among penetrometer resistance data measured at different depths. The map corresponding to five tractor passes showed the largest extension of the areas characterised by the highest values of penetrometer resist…
Integrating geophysical and geostatistical techniques to map the spatial variation of clay
2012
Abstract The development of subsoil models represents an important aspect of land resource evaluation, because they can provide an accurate description of the spatial variability in soil properties. Although direct soil sampling provides the best information in terms of soil properties, sample density is rarely adequate to accurately describe the horizontal and vertical variability of the physical properties of soil. Geophysical methods, such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors, provide rapid, non-invasive and exhaustive ways for subsoil characterization. Moreover, geophysical methods can be integrated with geostatistics to map soil properties. This…
Spatial Distribution of Soil Hydrological Properties in the Kilombero Floodplain, Tanzania
2017
Analysis and interpretation of soil properties dynamics is a keystone in understanding the hydrologic responses and yield potential of floodplain wetlands. This study characterizes the distribution and spatial trends of selected soil physical properties in the Kilombero floodplain, Tanzania. A total of 76 composite soil samples were taken from 0 to 20 cm and 20 to 40 cm depth in a regular grid design across three hydrological zones, related to flooding intensity defined as fringe, middle, and riparian during the rainy season of 2015. The samples were analyzed for soil texture, bulk density, organic carbon, and saturated hydraulic conductivity. Seasonal soil moisture content was monitored at…
A geostatistical approach for dynamic life tables: The effect of mortality on remaining lifetime and annuities
2010
Dynamic life tables arise as an alternative to the standard (static) life table, with the aim of incorporating the evolution of mortality over time. The parametric model introduced by Lee and Carter in 1992 for projected mortality rates in the US is one of the most outstanding and has been used a great deal since then. Different versions of the model have been developed but all of them, together with other parametric models, consider the observed mortality rates as independent observations. This is a difficult hypothesis to justify when looking at the graph of the residuals obtained with any of these methods. Methods of adjustment and prediction based on geostatistical techniques which expl…
Assessment of the soil organic carbon stock in Spain
2016
p.- 4 Tabls.- 6 Figs.
Mapping of penetrometer resistance in relation to tractor traffic using multivariate geostatistics
2007
Abstract The traffic of agricultural machines can cause soil compaction and high variability of soil structure, both along normal lines and along those parallel to the field plane. The aim of this work was to investigate the potential of an electronic penetrometer, a GPS, a GIS and geostatistical techniques for mapping soil compaction. In July 2003 soil cone penetrometer resistance was measured using a semi-automatic electronic penetrometer in a sandy-silt soil (Vertic Xerochrept) of inland Sicily where a three-year rotation wheat ( Triticum durum Desf.)–wheat–tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) was practiced. The measurements were carried out along three parallel 3-m long transects, from the…