Statistics for Earth and Environmental Scientists (ePub)

A comprehensive treatment of statistical applications for solving
real-world environmental problems



A host of complex problems face today's earth science community,
such as evaluating the supply of remaining non-renewable energy
resources, assessing the impact of people on the environment,
understanding climate change, and managing the use of water. Proper
collection and analysis of data using statistical techniques
contributes significantly toward the solution of these problems.
Statistics for Earth and Environmental Scientists presents
important statistical concepts through data analytic tools and
shows readers how to apply them to real-world problems.

The authors present several different statistical approaches to
the environmental sciences, including Bayesian and nonparametric
methodologies. The book begins with an introduction to types of
data, evaluation of data, modeling and estimation, random
variation, and sampling--all of which are explored through
case studies that use real data from earth science applications.
Subsequent chapters focus on principles of modeling and the key
methods and techniques for analyzing scientific data,
including:

* Interval estimation and Methods for analyzinghypothesis testing
of means time series data

* Spatial statistics

* Multivariate analysis

* Discrete distributions

* Experimental design

Most statistical models are introduced by concept and
application, given as equations, and then accompanied by heuristic
justification rather than a formal proof. Data analysis, model
building, and statistical inference are stressed throughout, and
readers are encouraged to collect their own data to incorporate
into the exercises at the end of each chapter. Most data sets,
graphs, and analyses are computed using R, but can be worked with
using any statistical computing software. A related website
features additional data sets, answers to selected exercises, and R
code for the book's examples.

Statistics for Earth and Environmental Scientists is an
excellent book for courses on quantitative methods in geology,
geography, natural resources, and environmental sciences at the
upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It is also a valuable
reference for earth scientists, geologists, hydrologists, and
environmental statisticians who collect and analyze data in their
everyday work.