7. In-situ Survey approaches and considerations

The scope of in-situ measurement campaigns is ultimately depending on the nature of the environmental problem being addressed, the type of contaminants of concern (COC), the geological and topographic features of the areas to be investigated, among other aspects. Additionally, the regulatory compliance criteria can be different across countries, and this could have a significant impact on the final strategy adopted for the in-situ surveys.

In the assessment of any environmental contamination, all the available information should be used to estimate the scope of the problem and to determine the type, quality and quantity of measurements necessary to make a decision on the characterization problem to be adressed.

In situ measurements are a very good approach for performing rapid screening surveys, but the limitations of the techniques have to be always taken into account.