Statistical Methods in Water Resources [Paperback]

D. R. Helsel (Author), Helsel (Author), Dennis R. Helsel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0444814639 | ISBN-13: 978-0444814630 | Edition: Pap/Dskt

Data on water quality and other environmental issues are being collected at an ever-increasing rate. In the past however, the techniques used by scientists to interpret this data have not progressed as quickly. This text aims to provide a modern statistical method for analysis of practical problems in water quality and water resources. The last 15 years have seen major advances in the fields of exploratory data analysis (EDA) and robust statistical methods. The "real-life" characteristics of environmental data tend to drive analysis towards the use of these methods. These advances are presented in a practical form, alternate methods are compared, and the strengths and weaknesses of each as applied to environmental data are highlighted. Techniques for trend analysis and dealing with water below the detection limit are topics covered, which should be of interest to consultants in water-quality and hydrology, scientists in state, provincial and federal water resources, and geological survey agencies. The practising water resources should find the worked examples using actual field data from case studies of environmental problems, of particular value. Exercises at the end of each chapter enable the mechanics of the methodological process to be fully understood, with data sets included on diskette for ease of use.

Editorial Reviews

Review

February 1993 The book is a welcome contribution to the water resources literature -- C. Cunnane, University College Galway, Ireland, Hydrological Sciences Journal

Product Details

• Paperback: 522 pages
• Publisher: Elsevier Science Pub Co; Pap/Dskt edition (March 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0444814639
• ISBN-13: 978-0444814630
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,739,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Owner and Principal Scientist, Practical Stats (PracticalStats.com)
a consulting and training firm for environmental statistics.

PhD, Environmental Science and Engineering, Virginia Tech
MSc and BA, Geology

Over 33 years experience in applying statistical methods to air, water, soils, and biota. The mission of Practical Stats is to enable scientists to "make sense of your data".

I enjoy training others in the practical use of statistics for environmental science and natural resources. I've taught courses since 1990 in the US and overseas, including those for the Singapore Ministry of Water and Environment, the Umweltbundesamt (German Environment Agency), and to numerous State and Federal agencies in the United States. I also teach open enrollment classes -- see our website.

I am a subcontractor for several firms who don't have statistical expertise on staff full-time. I've published over 50 journal articles in the field. You can contact me through the Contact Us page on the Practical Stats website.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a nice introduction to statistical analysis and hydrology, July 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Statistical Methods in Water Resources (Paperback)

Description (from the publisher's home page)

Data on water quality and other environmental issues are being collected at an ever-increasing rate. In the past, however, the techniques used by scientists to interpret this data have not progressed as quickly. This is a book of modern statistical methods for analysis of practical problems in water quality and water resources.

The last fifteen years have seen major advances in the fields of exploratory data analysis (EDA) and robust statistical methods. The 'real-life' characteristics of environmental data tend to drive analysis towards the use of these methods. These advances are presented in a practical and relevant format. Alternate methods are compared, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each as applied to environmental data. Techniques for trend analysis and dealing with water below the detection limit are topics covered, which are of great interest to consultants in water-quality and hydrology, scientists in state, provincial and federal water resources, and geological survey agencies.

The practising water resources scientist will find the worked examples using actual field data from case studies of environmental problems, of real value. Exercises at the end of each chapter enable the mechanics of the methodological process to be fully understood, with data sets included on diskette for easy use. The result is a book that is both up-to-date and immediately relevant to ongoing work in the environmental and water sciences.

Reviews

Water Resources Bulletin, American Water Resources Association, R.H. McCuen, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA, October 1992 Statistical Methods in Water Resources is a well organized textbook that should be on the book shelf of everyone who is involved in the analysis of environmental and water quality data.

Hydrological Sciences Journal, C. Cunnane, University College Galway, Ireland, February 1993 The book is a welcome contribution to the water resources literature

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Text and Reference, January 5, 2006

By 

David B. Thompson (Carson City, Nevada USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Statistical Methods in Water Resources (Paperback)

I'm in the process of working my way carefully through this text. I happen to own a print copy, but the report (Techniques of Water Resources Investigations A4 Chapter 3) is available for download in PDF form from the U.S.G.S. website. I will use this text as the reference for a class I'm teaching this spring. I'll be sending my students to the U.S.G.S. website because the Elsevier version is out of print.

This is an excellent teaching and reference text. It came from the notes of Helsel and Hirsch who taught (are teaching?) a statistical methods class to employees of the U.S.G.S. I know how this process works because I worked for the agency AND was a teacher in the basic hydrodynamics course that Jon Lee, Lewis deLong, and I put on. The students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and abilities, so good materials are a requisite for effective teaching.

Helsel and Hirsch do an excellent job of making the material accessible. The writing is clear and easy to understand. The graphics are good and serve to elucidate important concepts and methods. The examples are plentiful and well worked out. Answers to selected exercises are presented in the appendices.

What is missing from the text (and the authors point this out) is basic material on probability and statistics. Users of Helsel and Hirsch will want a supplementary text to treat fundamental matters. The authors assume some basic knowledge which is consistent with both the topic matter and the level of presentation. Again, this is not a criticism of the text, but an observation for consumers of the work.

I highly recommend this book to workers in the water resources field who need to apply statistical methods to their datasets. You won't go wrong here and will find much to use in exploring, analyzing, and presenting your results.

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine reference for everyone from beginners to experts., September 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Statistical Methods in Water Resources (Paperback)

This is a very useful and well-written book for researchers and practitioners working with water resources. The treatment of statistical methods is clear enough for beginners, and the exercises help ensure that the methods are learned properly. The book is particularly strong on some of the fundamentals of statistical methods such as graphical analysis methods and use of appropriate tests. It gives a much better treatment of robust, nonparametric methods than many statitical references. If nothing else, most of the statistical experts I know would benefit greatly by a review of the section on presentation graphics.