Environmental Analytical Measurement Uncertainty Estimation: Nested Hierarchical Approach

This document provides guidance for estimating environmental analytical measurement uncertainty. Each year billions of dollars are expended to generate environmental study data. These data are used in programs to protect the environment and mitigate environmental impacts. The quality of these data affect environmental cleanup, compliance, and ambient monitoring decision-making. To provide data of known quality, sampling and analysis plans are developed to accurately and precisely represent the contaminant distribution parameters of an environmental site or population. Associated with the environmental study data is the estimated measurement uncertainty that results from the sampling and analysis process. This measurement uncertainty affects environmental study data quality. The process of making decisions under uncertainty is a challenge for environmental decision-makers. Decision-makers must assess the effects of measurement uncertainty on environmental decisions. While the possibility of a decision error can never be totally eliminated, it can be controlled. To control decision errors, the measurement uncertainty must be controlled.
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