ABSTRACT
Environmental hazards such as accidental petroleum spillage and heavy metal contamination can be effectively managed by rapid, non-invasive characterization of environmental samples in conjunction with spatial variability mapping using several geostatistical interpolation techniques like ordinary kriging and indicator kriging. This chapter outlines the uses of two soil proximal sensors – portable x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (PXRF) and hyperspectral visible near infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (VisNIR DRS) for rapid characterization of soil contamination. Basic principles of PXRF and VisNIR DRS have been discussed and specific case studies were included to justify their feasibility.
