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Activity Number:
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371
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Type:
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Topic Contributed
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Date/Time:
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Wednesday, August 9, 2006 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
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Sponsor:
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Section on Statistics and the Environment
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| Abstract - #306603 |
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Title:
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A Practical Application of VSP to an Environmental Question: Abraham's Creek
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Author(s):
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Kelly Black*+ and Michele Wolf
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Companies:
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Neptune & Company and Neptune & Company
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Address:
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2031 Kerr Gulch Road, Evergreen, CO, 80439,
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Keywords:
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VSP ; software ; environment ; sample size ; case study
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Abstract:
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Visual Sample Plan (VSP) is user-friendly free software developed cooperatively among several branches of the federal government used to provide statistical solutions for environmental sampling design problems. VSP helps the user select the number and location of samples to collect so a required confidence level for decisionmaking can be achieved. We applied VSP to Abraham's Creek, for which the Quantico Marine Corps Base is a potential contaminant source. Previous studies identified elevated levels of DDx and PCBs in sediment. However, substantial spatial data gaps led to a desire to collect additional data to better characterize the contamination. VSP was used to determine optimal sample size and location. This presentation is designed to illustrate both the ease with which VSP was applied to this project and the care that should be taken when applying this tool.
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