ABSTRACT
This chapter takes a closer look at how the environment can affect the dispersion of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) from bodies placed in different places. The basics of physicochemistry is covered as a way to explain why and how different VOCs may move through air, water, and soil. The effects of topography, weather, and location on odor dispersion are covered both for bodies on land (surface and buried) as well in submersed in water. Because VOCs are commonly carried by water vapor, information about hydrology is presented and includes concepts of the effects of weather on water movement. Basics of bathymetry, the underwater study of water bodies, is covered by discussing the science of waves and temperature gradients of water. This information is then brought back in to the practical application of using it when deciding when and where to deploy human remains detector canines.
