Statistical and nonstatistical considerations for environmental monitoring studies

Abstract

In environmental studies statistics is too often used as a salvage operation, or as an attempt to show ‘significance’ in the absence of any clear hypothesis. Good design is needed, not fancier statistics. Too often we pursue short-term problems that are in fashion rather than study long-term environmental deterioration that really matters. Since change-often unpredictable change-is an intrinsic part of nature, it is pointless to fight all environmental change. We must choose our level of concern and then influence environmental change where we can. The judgement on whether a given change is bad cannot be left to the statistician or to statistical tests; the politician in consultation with the ecologist are responsible for it. The statistical significance of a hypothesized impact-related change should be tested against year-to-year variation in the unimpacted situation rather than against replicate sampling error. This is another argument for long-term studies. Attributes of good design and appropriate criterion and predictor variables are discussed.