Statistical and quantitative research

Environmental impacts may escape detection if the statistical tests used to analyze data from field studies are inadequate or the field design is not appropriate. To alleviate this problem, PNL scientists are doing theoretical research which will provide the basis for new sampling schemes or better methods to analyze and present data. Such efforts have resulted in recommendations about the optimal size of study plots, sampling intensity, field replication, and program duration. Costs associated with any of these factors can be substantial if, for example, attention is not paid to the adequacy of a sampling scheme. In the study of dynamics of large-mammal populations, the findings are sometimes surprising. For example, the survival of a grizzly bear population may hinge on the loss of one or two adult females per year