ABSTRACT
The statistical part of environmental monitoring designs contains three components: the spatial design, the temporal design, and the site design. The spatial design dictates where sample sites are located in the study area, the temporal design dictates when sample sites are visited, and the site design dictates what is measured at a particular site and how. These design components are largely, but not completely, independent. For example, methods in site design can substantially influence sample size and the population definition which in turn influence the spatial and temporal designs. However, the site design may simply require selection of a point as an anchor for field measurements, and the spatial design can select this point without knowledge of the specifics of the field measurements. Likewise, the temporal design can dictate when points are revisited without knowing their location or the specifics of field measurements. It is therefore useful and relatively easy to study general-purpose spatial designs without knowledge of the temporal or site designs. This is the approach taken by this chapter.
