A new plot to display the strain of elliptical markers

A modification of the Elliott grid for plotting ellipse shape data are described. The effects of strain on elliptical markers are easy to visualize when the data are plotted on the new grid, and this allows clear interpretation of displayed data. New graphical methods for manipulating distributions of elliptical markers are directly related to an existing numerical method. When a distribution on the grid is strained, all the points move along straight, parallel lines. An initial distribution in which all the points lie on a straight line is strained into a distribution with the points lying on a hyperbola. Such curves include the analogues of ‘theta curves’. If the points lie on a circle centred at the grid origin, they are strained so as to lie on an ellipse. These are the analogues of ‘onion curves’.     

Shoreline tufa and tufaglomerate from Pleistocene Lake Bonneville,Utah, USA: stable isotopic and mineralogical records of lake conditions,processes, and climate

Shoreline carbonate deposits of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville record the conditions and processes within the lake, including the evaporative balance as well as vertical and lateral chemical and isotopic gradients. Tufas (swash‐zone) and tufaglomerates (cemented, subaqueous colluvium or beachrock) on multiple, well‐developed shorelines near the Silver Island Range, Utah, also present an opportunity to examine physicochemical lake processes through time. Three shorelines are represented by carbonate deposits, including the 23–20 ka Stansbury stage, 15–14.5 ka Bonneville stage, and 14.5–14 ka Provo stage. Mean δ¹⁸O_VSMOW values of all three shorelines are statistically indistinguishable ( ～ 27 ± 1‰), when a few Bonneville samples of unusual composition are neglected. However, differences in primary carbonate mineralogy indicate that the correspondence is an artefact of the different fractionation factors between calcite or aragonite and water. Second, in order to sustain a much smaller, shallower lake during the colder Stansbury stage, the climate must have also been relatively dry. Third, δ¹⁸O values in tufa are higher than tufaglomerate by ～ 0.5‰, consistent with greater evaporative enrichment of lake water in the swash zone. Fourth, mean δ¹³C values for the Provo, Stansbury and Bonneville shorelines (4.4, 5.0 and 5.2‰, respectively) show that carbon species were dominated by atmospheric exchange, with the variations produced by differences in the oxidation of organic matter. Comparisons of shoreline carbonates with deep‐lake marls of the same approximate age indicate that shoreline carbonate was much higher in δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values (both ～ 2.5‰) during Bonneville time, whereas isotopic differences were minor (both ～ 1‰) in Stansbury time. In particular, the Bonneville stage may have sustained large vertical or lateral isotopic gradients due to evaporative enrichment effects on δ¹⁸O values. In contrast, the lake during the much shallower Stansbury stage may have been well mixed. Differences in the primary mineralogy (Stansbury and Bonneville, aragonite > calcite; Provo, calcite > aragonite) reflect profound differences in lake chemistry in terms of open versus closed‐basin lakes. The establishment of a continuous outlet during Provo time probably reduced the Mg²⁺/Ca²⁺ ratio of lake water. Curiously, regardless of primary mineralogy, tufaglomerate cements are enriched in Na⁺ and Cl^? and depleted in Mg²⁺ relative to capping tufa of the same age. This probably reflects vital or kinetic effects in the swash zone (tufa). We suspect that ‘abiotic’ effects may have been important in the dark pore space of developing tufaglomerate, where the absence of light suppressed photosynthesis. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

非饱和渗流模拟中非均匀空间网格的改进方法

Richards方程在非饱和渗流模拟及其他相关领域应用广泛。在数值求解过程中,可以采用有限差分方法进行数值离散并迭代求解,为了获得较可靠的数值解,常规的均匀网格空间步长往往是较小的。在一些不利数值条件下,如入渗于干燥土壤,迭代计算费时甚至精度也不能得到很好改善。因此,文章提出Chebyshev空间网格改进方法,结合有限差分方法对Richards方程进行数值离散以获得线性方程组,并通过经典的Picard迭代方法进行迭代求解线性方程组以得到Richards方程的数值解。通过均质土和分层土2个不利情况下的非饱和渗流算例,又结合模型解析解和软件Hydrus-1D,对比研究了改进网格方法与均匀网格方法获得数值解的精度。结果表明,提出的Chebyshev网格方法相较于传统的均匀网格,可以在较少的节点数下获得较高的数值精度,又具有较小的计算开销,有较好的应用前景。     

Evaluation and zoning of groundwater hazards in Pingshuo No. 1 underground coal mine,Shanxi Province,China

Coal mining safety has been compromised with water inrushes from aquifers either overlying or underlying the coal seams. Detailed studies of the associated hydrogeological conditions in China have led to different approaches to mitigate the water inrush risks from these two types of aquifers—the ‘three diagram method’ for overlying-aquifer water inrushes and the ‘vulnerability index method’ for underlying-aquifer water inrushes. The ‘three diagram method’ consists of: (1) aquifer water-abundance distribution charts derived from a geographic information system and analytic hierarchy process based water-abundance index model; (2) a fracture height map showing mining-induced fractures above the coal seam, established with stratified numerical simulations; and (3) a comprehensive partition map identifying the overlying-aquifer water inrush risk. The ‘vulnerability index method’ uses site-specific data to establish thematic maps for major factors that affect the underlying-aquifer water inrushes, whereas the weight of each control factor is determined by the analytic hierarchy process. The calculated vulnerability index is indicative of water inrush risks. The effectiveness of these methods is illustrated with a case study at the Pingshuo No. 1 underground coal mine, Shanxi Province, China.     

A method of time-dependent analysis using elastic solutions for nonlinear materials

The formulation of viscoelastic solutions from elastic equations using the ‘correspondence principle’ and an inverse Laplace transform has been discussed extensively in the literature. Because this method has been developed, many time-dependent solutions can be obtained from closed form elastic solutions and conditions have been delineated in which the ‘quasi-elastic’ approximation of the viscoelastic solution is within acceptable tolerance. This communication shows the feasibility of the application of these methods to formulate approximate nonlinear viscoelastic solutions with nonlinear stress-strain materials, and for want of a specific nonlinear model to demonstrate this, the hyperbolic model was selected. The ‘power law’ is used to model the relaxation modulus of the viscoelastic materials. There are five related development that are discussed here using a simple numerical example to illustrate each of them and they are: (1) a linear elastic solution, (2) a linear viscoelastic solution, (3) a nonlinear elastic solution, (4) a nonlinear viscoelastic solution and finally, (5) a ‘regression’ approximation of the nonlinear viscoelastic solution which is suggested by the series form of the elastic solution. All of these are related to one another and each provides an acceptably accurate solution of the problem it addresses. The latter is of particular practical interest since it can be used to provide answers to problems involving nonlinear viscoelastic materials while requiring only very small calculation times. The problem used as an example is the calculation of the displacement of a circular hole in an infinite plate made of a material with a nonlinear time-dependent stress-strain relationship. The nonlinear elastic form of the solution was developed by matching results from nonlinear finite element analysis.     

Groundwater flow into underground openings in fractured crystalline rocks: an interpretation based on long channels

Rethinking an old tracer experiment in fractured crystalline rock suggests a concept of groundwater flow in sparse networks of long channels that is supported by results from an innovative lattice network model. The model, HyperConv, can vary the mean length of ‘strings’ of connected bonds, and the gaps between them, using two independent probability functions. It is found that networks of long channels are able to percolate at lower values of (bond) density than networks of short channels. A general relationship between mean channel length, mean gap length and probability of percolation has been developed which incorporates the well-established result for ‘classical’ lattice network models as a special case. Using parameters appropriate to a 4-m diameter drift located 360 m below surface at Stripa Mine Underground Research Laboratory in Sweden, HyperConv is able to reproduce values of apparent positive skin, as observed in the so-called Macropermeability Experiment, but only when mean channel length exceeds 10 m. This implies that such channel systems must cross many fracture intersections without bifurcating. A general relationship in terms of flow dimension is suggested. Some initial investigations using HyperConv show that the commonly observed feature, ‘compartmentalization’, only occurs when channel density is just above the percolation threshold. Such compartments have been observed at Kamaishi Experimental Mine (Japan) implying a sparse flow network. It is suggested that compartments and skin are observable in the field, indicate sparse channel systems, and could form part of site characterization for deep nuclear waste repositories.     

Classification of paraglacial barrier systems: coastal New England, USA

The New England coast harbours a wide variety of barrier forms, which we organize into six barrier-coastline types. The barriers develop in response to the relative importance of several spatially and temporally variable parameters, particularly antecedent topography and geology, sediment abundance and size, exposure to wave and tidal energy and sea-level history. The six coastline types can also be identified in other paraglacial regions. Existing barrier-coastline classification schemes do not allow consistent subdivision of paraglacial barrier coasts. This paper presents a new scheme that is applicable to paraglacial and non-paraglacial barrier coasts alike. Aside from hydrodynamic regime, which forms the basis of the barrier classification most commonly used to date, it includes a compartmentalization factor. Sediment-starved ‘isolated’ (‘type 1’) barrier coastlines are characterized by short, widely spaced barriers. Small, localized updrift and offshore sources have provided sediment for short barriers along ‘clustered headland-separated’ (‘type 2’) barrier coastlines. Various amounts of sediment from larger updrift and offshore glaciofluvial deposits or directly from rivers have formed the longer barriers along ‘wave-dominated mainland-segmented’ (‘type 3a’), ‘mixed-energy mainland-segmented’ (‘type 3b’), ‘wave-dominated inlet-segmented’ (‘type 4a’) and ‘mixed-energy inlet-segmented’ (‘type 4b’) barrier coastlines. Geomorphic form, grain size and stratigraphy can be used to characterize individual barriers along barrier coastlines. Most paraglacial barriers form as spits, but many are transformed subsequently. Welded barriers are common along ‘type 1’ and ‘type 2’ coasts. Baymouth barriers are characteristic of ‘type 3’ coasts, and barrier islands occur exclusively along ‘type 4’ coasts. The coarsest grained barriers are located along ‘type 1’ and ‘type 2’ coasts. Progradational barrier sections are concentrated along ‘type 3’ and ‘type 4’ coasts with abundant sediment supply, but are also present along ‘type 2’ coasts. Temporary increases in sediment supply, common in paraglacial regions, result in transitions between retrogradational and progradational barrier behaviour, which may be recognized on shore-perpendicular stratigraphic cross-sections.     

岩体材料物理网格对流形元覆盖系统形成的影响

流形元的数学覆盖与物理网格相对独立,使流形元覆盖系统的形成比有限元单元网格的形成有更大的灵活性和方便性,但在形成流形元覆盖系统时对物理网格也有一定的依赖。笔者讨论了使用规则网格作为数学覆盖时,岩体材料普遍存在的裂隙和岩层界面这两种物理网格对流形元覆盖系统形成的影响,指出数学覆盖的构造要与岩体裂隙和岩层界面相适应,并提出了相应的流形元覆盖系统的形成方法,有利于流形元法应用于大型岩体工程问题。     

上海崇明东滩岸线演变分析及趋势预测

认识崇明东滩岸线的演变规律,对于崇明东滩湿地的保护和利用具有重要意义。利用面向对象的方法,选取1987年至2006年中的6景Landsat-5 TM卫星影像数据,解译出对应年份的东滩岸线。为了对较复杂的非平直岸线的变化进行建模,提出了基于地形梯度的正交断面方法,构建了基于图形学的分析预测模型,对岸线的演变进行分析,预测了2010年和2015年的岸线位置。结果显示：（1）崇明东滩以东南角节点为界,分为南侧的侵蚀岸段和其余的淤涨岸段,总体淤涨速率有减慢趋势,最大侵蚀速率为22.0 m/a,最大淤涨速率为247.2 m/a;（2）北侧自东旺沙水闸向东约4 km长的岸段存在明显的冲淤交替现象;（3）岸线演变受抑制区段都位于东滩两侧岛影缓流区的边界;（4）由于岸外东南侧发育有10 m深槽,除非有特殊的水动力条件出现,东滩未来的岸线将偏向东北方向演变。     

Non-synchronous records of Holocene aeolian sand deposition and landscape stability at adjacent lake-side sites in the Falkland Islands,South Atlantic: a caution

Lithostratigraphical interpretation and ¹⁴C dating of adjacent lake-side sedimentary sequences at the Sulivan House lakes, West Falkland, indicate between-site non-synchronous records of Holocene aeolian sand deposition and landscape stability. It is inferred that the sands are associated with deflation of exposed sandy shorelines at times of lower lake levels, whereas stability phases are characterised by peat formation and/or organic matter incorporation into sand horizons at times of ‘normal’ lake levels. The data imply that a cautious approach to interpretation of lake-side sediments may be warranted if the purpose is to use lake-level changes and aeolian — non-aeolian interbeds as proxy indicators of regional climatic signals. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Discrimination of accreted and eroded coasts using heavy mineral compositions of the Nile Delta beach sands, Egypt

Coastal erosion has occurred on the beaches of the three major promontories of the Nile Delta of Egypt. The eroded sand is generally carried alongshore to the east, or locally to the west, from these promontories and is deposited in areas of beach accretion between promontories. In this study the heavy minerals of 150 samples have been investigated with the aim of differentiating between eroded and accreted beaches. Discrimination was achieved by using bivariate plots of the raw weight percentage data and Q-mode factor analysis. Factor analysis yielded two ‘mineral assemblages’: Factor 1 is dominated by augite, hornblende and epidote, while Factor 2 consists of opaque minerals, garnet, zircon, rutile and monazite. These two mineral factors are produced by the selective sorting of heavy minerals by natural processes of waves and currents. Minerals of Factor 2 are associated with high density opaques which tend to concentrate as a lag in areas of erosion. Conversely, the lower density minerals of Factor 1 are preferentially transported away from areas of erosion and carried to the accreted shorelines.     

The lateglacial lakes of Glens Roy,Spean and vicinity (Lochaber district,Scottish Highlands)

This paper summarises the evidence for glacial ice advance into lower Glen Spean during the Loch Lomond Stadial which involved the blockage of westward-flowing drainage to form a series of ice-dammed lakes, the former surfaces of which are marked by prominent shorelines. Detailed mapping of glacigenic landforms and instrumental levelling of the shorelines reveals a dynamic interplay between the glacier margins and lake formation. Subsequent deglaciation led to lowering of the lake levels, at times by catastrophic drainage beneath the ice (jökulhlaup). The abandoned shorelines have been warped and dislocated in numerous places as a result of glacio-isostatic deformation, faulting and landslip activity. The pattern of retreat of the ice can be deduced from the mapped distributions of retreat moraines and the levelled altitudes of numerous kame and fluvial terrace fragments. The sequence of events outlined in this paper provides important context for understanding the evolution of the landscape of the Glen Roy area during the Loch Lomond Stadial, and a prelude to more recent studies reported in other contributions to this thematic issue.     

Impact of Armored Shorelines on Shore-Zone Fish Density in a Mid-Atlantic,USA, Estuary: Modulation by Hypoxia and Temperature

Anthropogenic modifications of estuarine environments, including shoreline hardening and corresponding alteration of water quality, are accelerating worldwide as human population increases in coastal regions. Estuarine fish species inhabiting temperate ecosystems are adapted to extreme variations in environmental conditions including water temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen across seasonal, daily, and hourly time scales. The present research utilized quantitative sampling to examine the spatiotemporal distribution of shore-zone estuarine fish species in association with four unique shoreline types across a range of water temperature and dissolved oxygen conditions. Fish were collected from the intertidal and shallow subtidal region of four shoreline types, Spartina alterniflora marsh, Phragmites australis marsh, riprap, and bulkhead, in the summer and fall of 2009 and 2010. Analyses were performed to (1) compare mean fish density among shoreline types across all water conditions and (2) explore relationships of the complete fish assemblage, three functional species groupings, and two fish species (Fundulus heteroclitus and Menidia menidia) to unique shoreline/water conditions. Significantly greater mean fish densities were found along S. alterniflora shorelines than armored shorelines. Several metrics including fish density, species richness, and occurrence rates suggest S. alterniflora shorelines may serve as a form of refuge habitat during periods of low dissolved oxygen and high temperatures for various species, particularly littoral-demersal species including F. heteroclitus. Potential mechanisms that could contribute to a habitat providing refuge during adverse water quality conditions include tempering of the adverse condition (decreased temperatures, increased dissolved oxygen), predation protection, and increased foraging opportunities.     

公路隧道型钢喷射混凝土初期支护安全评价研究

公路隧道常采用复合式衬砌,按“新奥法”原理进行设计和施工。对于软弱围岩段,采用型钢拱架（或格栅拱架）+注浆+锚喷网联合初期支护形式,型钢喷射混凝土初期支护的安全性评价方法是实现支护动态设计的关键。对初期支护安全性评价进行系统研究,建立了型钢喷射混凝土安全性评价数值计算方法。首先,根据监测数据分析围岩最终沉降量、水平收敛值,作为围岩力学参数反演的依据;其次,采用反演的力学参数,通过地层-结构法数值计算型钢拱架喷射混凝土初期支护内力;最后,采用型钢混凝土安全系数计算方法计算和评价初期支护安全性。研究发现,型钢拱架喷射混凝土初期支护能发挥型钢强支护作用,而喷射混凝土达到设计强度后,混凝土起主要支撑作用,型钢间距对提高初期支护安全系数不显著。     

Palaeochannel-controlled depositional features of the cretaceous lower Mahadek uranium Mineralisation in Umthongkut area,West Khasi Hills,Meghalaya

GIS complemented statistical classification techniques yield good result in predicting landslide hazards. Indian standard landslide hazard model follows guidelines formulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS, 1998), in which the study area is divided into five categories, ranging from very low hazard zone to very high hazard zone on fixed numerical ratings. For land use planners, “moderate hazard zone” proves vague and indecisive. In the present study, BIS based landslide hazard zones are demarcated for 140 sq. km area for a road corridor in East and North Sikkim that shows 21.96%, 53.14%, 22.80% and 2.10% for ‘Low Hazard Zone’, ‘Moderate Hazard Zone’, ‘High Hazard Zone’ and ‘Very High Hazard Zone’ respectively. This classification scheme has been reclassified to binary system based on population distribution and defining the cut-off by evaluation techniques of the ROC. The reclassification eliminates “moderate hazard zone”, minimizing the Type-II error and becomes more acceptable for future land use planning.     

Salt Marsh and Fringing Oyster Reef Transgression in a Shallow Temperate Estuary: Implications for Restoration,Conservation and Blue Carbon

The importance of intertidal estuarine habitats, like salt marsh and oyster reef, has been well established, as has their ubiquitous loss along our coasts with resultant forfeiture of the ecosystem services they provide. Furthering our understanding of how these habitats are evolving in the face of anthropogenic and climate driven changes will help improve management strategies. Previous work has shown that the growth and productivity of both oyster reefs and salt marshes are strongly linked to elevation in the intertidal zone (duration of aerial exposure). We build on that research by examining the growth of marsh-fringing oyster reefs at yearly to decadal time scales and examine movement of the boundary between oyster reef and salt marsh at decadal to centennial time scales. We show that the growth of marsh-fringing reefs is strongly associated to the duration of aerial exposure, with little growth occurring below mean low water and above mean sea level. Marsh-shoreline movement, in the presence or absence of fringing oyster reefs, was reconstructed using transects of sediment cores. Carbonaceous marsh sediments sampled below the modern fringing oyster reefs indicate that marsh shorelines within Back Sound, North Carolina are predominantly in a state of transgression (landward retreat), and modern oyster-reef locations were previously occupied by salt marsh within the past two centuries. Cores fronting transgressive marsh shorelines absent fringing reefs sampled thinner and less extensive carbonaceous marsh sediment than at sites with fringing reefs. This indicates that fringing reefs are preserving carbonaceous marsh sediment from total erosion as they transgress and colonize the exposed marsh shoreline making marsh sediments more resistant to erosion. The amount of marsh sediment preservation underneath the reef scales with the reef’s relief, as reefs with the greatest relief were level with the marsh platform, preserving a maximum amount of carbonaceous sediments during transgression by buffering the marsh from erosional processes. Thus, fringing oyster reefs not only have the capacity to shelter shorelines but, if located at the ideal tidal elevation, they also keep up with accelerating sea-level rise and cap carbonaceous sediments, protecting them from erosion, as reefs develop along the marsh.     

The terminology of structures in thrust belts

A review of structures and geometric relationships recognized in thrust belts is presented. A thrust is defined as any contractional fault, a corollary being that thrusts must cut up-section in their transport direction. ‘Flats’ are those portions of a thrust surface which were parallel to an arbitrary datum surface at the time of displacement and ‘ramps’ are those portions of thrusts which cut across datum surfaces. Ramps are classified on the basis of their orientation relative to the thrust transport direction and whether they are cut offs in the hangingwall or footwall of the thrust. Lateral variations in the form of staircase trajectories are joined by oblique or lateral ramps which have a component of strike-slip movement.An array of thrusts which diverge in their transport direction may form by either of two propagation models. These are termed ‘piggy-back’ propagation, which is foreland-directed, and ‘overstep’ propagation which is opposed to the thrust transport direction. An array of thrust surfaces is termed an ‘imbricate stack’ and should these surfaces anastamose upwards a ‘duplex’ will result; the fault-bounded blocks are termed ‘horses’. A duplex is bounded by a higher, ‘roof’ thrust and a lower, ‘floor’ thrust. The intersection of any two thrust planes is termed a ‘branch line’.Thrusts can be classified on the basis of their relationship to asymmetric fold limbs which they cut. A further classification arises from whether a particular thrust lies in the hangingwall or footwall of another one.The movement of thrust sheets over corrugated surfaces, or the local development of thrust structures beneath, will fold higher thrust sheets. These folds are termed ‘culminations’ and their limbs are termed ‘culmination walls’. Accommodation of this folding may require movement on surfaces within the hangingwall of the active thrust. These accommodation surfaces are termed ‘hangingwall detachments’ and they need not root down into the active thrust. This category of detachment includes dip-slip ‘hangingwall drop faults’ which are developed by differential uplift of duplex roofs, and ‘out-of-the-syncline’ thrusts which develop from overtightened fold hinges. Back thrusts, as well as forming as hangingwall detachments, may also form due to layer-parallel shortening above a sticking thrust or by rotation of the hangingwall above a ramp.     

Shoreline Energy and Sea Level Dynamics in Lower Chesapeake Bay: History and Patterns

A long-term (1948–2010) shoreward energy history of upper tidal shorelines in lower Chesapeake Bay was developed using a simple calculation of kinetic energy from corresponding wind and tide data. These data were primarily used to determine the likelihood of shoreline energy increases coincident with local sea level rise. Total annual shoreward energy ranged from 620 kJ/m of shoreline in 1950 to 17,785 kJ/m of shoreline in 2009. No clear linear trends are apparent, but mean annual energy shows an increase from 2,732 kJ/m before 1982 to 6,414 kJ/m since then. This increase in mean energy was accompanied by more numerous spikes of comparatively higher annual energy. Shoreward energy delivered to lower Chesapeake Bay’s upper tidal shorelines was enabled by an increasing amount of time per year that tidal height exceeds mean high water, accompanied by increasing heights of tidal anomalies. An index termed the Hydrologic Burden was developed that incorporates the combination of time and tidal height that demonstrates this increasing trend. Although opportunities for greater shoreward energy increased as the Hydrologic Burden increased, and even though there is evidence that greater energy was delivered to the shorelines during the latter time series, energy per hour delivery was shown not to have increased, and may have decreased, due to a steady reduction in average wind speed in lower Chesapeake Bay since the mid-1980s. Energy delivery in lower Chesapeake Bay was primarily from the northeast, and energy delivery over the time series is shown to organize symmetrically around a point between the northeast and north–northeast directions. This is evidence of a self-organizational phenomenon that transcends changes in local wind and tide dynamics.     

An Exploration of the Interplay between the Measurement Uncertainty and the Number of Samples in Contaminated Land Investigations

In the assessment of potentially contaminated land, the number of samples and the uncertainty of the measurements (including that from sampling) are both important factors in the planning and implementation of an investigation. Both parameters also effect the interpretation of the measurements produced, and the process of making decisions based upon those measurements. However, despite their importance, previously there has been no method for assessing if an investigation is fit‐for‐purpose with respect to both of these parameters. The Whole Site Optimised Contaminated Land Investigation (WSOCLI) method has been developed to address this issue, and to allow the optimisation of an investigation with respect to both the number of samples and the measurement uncertainty, using an economic loss function. This function was developed to calculate an ‘expectation of (financial) loss’, incorporating costs of the investigation itself, subsequent land remediation, and potential consequential costs. To allow the evaluation of the WSOCLI method a computer program ‘OCLISIM’ has been developed to produce sample data from simulated contaminated land investigations. One advantage of such an approach is that as the ‘true’ contaminant concentrations are created by the program, these values are known, which is not the case in a real contaminated land investigation. This enables direct comparisons between functions of the ‘true’ concentrations and functions of the simulated measurements. A second advantage of simulation for this purpose is that the WSOCLI method can be tested on many different patterns and intensities of contamination. The WSOCLI method performed particularly well at high sampling densities producing expectations of financial loss that approximated to the true costs, which were also calculated by the program. WSOCLI was shown to produce notable trends in the relationship between the overall cost (i.e., expectation of loss) and both the number of samples and the measurement uncertainty, which are: (a) low measurement uncertainty was optimal when the decision threshold was between the mean background and the mean hot spot concentrations. (b) When the hot spot mean concentration is equal to or near the decision threshold, then mid‐range measurement uncertainties were optimal. (c) When the decision threshold exceeds the mean of the hot spot, mid‐range measurement uncertainties were optimal. The trends indicate that the uncertainty may continue to rise if the difference between hot spot mean and the decision threshold increases further. (d) In any of the above scenarios, the optimal measurement uncertainty was lower if there is a large geochemical variance (i.e., heterogeneity) within the hot spot. (e) The optimal number of samples for each scenario was indicated by the WSOCLI method, and was between 50 and 100 for the scenarios considered generally; although there was significant noise in the predictions, which needs to be addressed in future work to allow such conclusions to be clearer.