Estimation of uncertainty arising from different soil sampling devices: The use of variogram parameters

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 70; no. 5; pp. 745 - 752
• Main Authors: de Zorzi, Paolo, Barbizzi, Sabrina, Belli, Maria, Barbina, Maria, Fajgelj, Ales, Jacimovic, Radojko, Jeran, Zvonka, Menegon, Sandro, Pati, Alessandra, Petruzzelli, Giannantonio, Sansone, Umberto, Van der Perk, Marcel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: agricultural soils; Agriculture; Analysis methods; Applied sciences; Calibration; chromium; Chromium - analysis; Comparative sampling; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental Monitoring - statistics & numerical data; Exact sciences and technology; Geo-statistics; geostatistics; Italy; polluted soils; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Quality Control; Replicate approach; Reproducibility of Results; sampling; Sampling devices; scandium; Scandium - analysis; Sensitivity and Specificity; Soil and sediments pollution; Soil Pollutants - analysis; soil pollution; Specimen Handling - methods; statistical analysis; Uncertainty; variograms; Variography; zinc; Zinc - analysis; Italy; Sampling devices; Geo-statistics; Comparative sampling; Replicate approach; Variography; Neutron activation analysis; Uncertainty; Geostatistics; Soil pollution; Heavy metal; Trace element; Surveillance; Sampling
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.07.068

In the frame of the international SOILSAMP project, funded and coordinated by the National Environmental Protection Agency of Italy (APAT), uncertainties due to field soil sampling were assessed. Three different sampling devices were applied in an agricultural area using the same sampling protocol. Cr, Sc and Zn mass fractions in the collected soil samples were measured by k
0-instrumental neutron activation analysis (k
0-INAA). For each element-device combination the experimental variograms were calculated using geostatistical tools. The variogram parameters were used to estimate the standard uncertainty arising from sampling. The sampling component represents the dominant contribution of the measurement uncertainty with a sampling uncertainty to measurement uncertainty ratio ranging between 0.6 and 0.9. The approach based on the use of variogram parameters leads to uncertainty values of the sampling component in agreement with those estimated by replicate sampling approach.