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Geostatistics and its application to soil science
Author(s) -
Oliver M.A.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
soil use and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.709
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1475-2743
pISSN - 0266-0032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-2743.1987.tb00703.x
Subject(s) - geostatistics , variogram , kriging , spatial variability , spatial analysis , variation (astronomy) , scale (ratio) , sample (material) , soil science , statistics , environmental science , physical geography , mathematics , geography , cartography , physics , chemistry , chromatography , astrophysics
. Geostatistics is principally the application of regionalized variable theory. The methods it embodies are applicable throughout the earth sciences for investigating the spatial variation of, and for estimating continuous random variables. The semi‐variogram is the central tool of geostatistics. It can quantify the scale and intensity of spatial variation and it provides the essential spatial information for local estimation by kriging and for optimizing sample intensity. It can also be used in an exploratory manner to try to discover underlying causes of the variation. Geostatistical methods have been widely applied in the mining industry and there are many examples of their application in soil science. Their use is illustrated by a case study of soil spatial variation in the Wyre Forest of England.