Developing meaningful quality measures for naturally occurring spatial variability at complex military munitions response sites

PreviousNext You have accessSymposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems 2021Developing meaningful quality measures for naturally occurring spatial variability at complex military munitions response sitesAuthors: Kari L. MeierKari L. MeierU.S. Army Corps of EngineersSearch for more papers by this authorhttps://doi.org/10.4133/sageep.33-150 SectionsAboutPDF/ePub ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Abstract While quality processes for detection of munitions continue to improve, focus on the natural variability within complex soil environments needs further consideration. One example is the application of (any number) of required seeds per instrument or per operator per day. These seeding requirements are generally applied as process steps to ensure operators continue to verify detection and classification capabilities with time and space. However, the site characteristics and variability of site conditions may vary spatially across a site, and if not paired appropriately with data collected at the time of instrument verification and consistency checks, these periodic quality checks may be an opportunity to gather additional information. These are points at which site protocol should include logging site conditions that may be related to noise variability with space. Without understanding the conditions related to noise variability spatially, the team may miss identifying conditions that may present complications in executing a remedial action. Spatial variability of soil matrices across large complex munitions response sites can impact noise variability and therefore visibility or sensitivity of instrumentation in detection and classification of buried subsurface items while moving across a site. Failure to plan for and identify the variability of matrix interferences during site characterization may result in difficulties in implementation of a physical remedy that is required to meet a specified remedial action depth. Presented is a case study where the lack of information regarding natural background spatial variability has resulted in change in remedial objectives, and cleanup strategy. This is intended to prompt further discussion for how this information can and should be considered earlier in the remedial process. Keywords: logging, noisePermalink: https://doi.org/10.4133/sageep.33-150FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems 2021ISSN (online):1554-8015Copyright: 2021 Pages: 349 publication data© 2021 Published in electronic format with permission by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists and Environment and Engineering Geophysical SocietyPublisher:Environmental & Engineering Geophysical Society HistoryPublished: 11 Jun 2021 CITATION INFORMATION Kari L. Meier, (2021), "Developing meaningful quality measures for naturally occurring spatial variability at complex military munitions response sites," Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems Proceedings : 270-270. https://doi.org/10.4133/sageep.33-150 Plain-Language Summary KeywordsloggingnoisePDF DownloadLoading ...