Conducting Field Studies for Testing Pesticide Leaching Models

摘要

A variety of predictive models are being applied to evaluate the transport and transformation of pesticides in the environment. These include well known models such as the Pesticide Root Zone Model (PRZM), the Risk of Unsaturated-Saturated Transport and Transformation Interactions for Chemical Concentrations (RUSTIC) model, and the Groundwater Loading Effects of Agricultural Management Systems (GLEAMS) model. The potentially large impact of using these models as tools for developing pesticide management strategies and regulatory decisions necessitates development of sound model validation protocols. The paper offers guidance on many of the theoretical and practical problems encountered in the design and implementation of full-scale model validation studies. Recommendations are provided for site selection and characterization, test compound selection, data needs, measurement techniques, statistical design considerations and sampling techniques. A strategy is provided for quantitatively testing models using field measurements. (Copyright (c) 1990 Gordon and Breach, Science Publishers, Inc.)