This document provides information about soil and sediment sampling. It discusses basic principles of soil sampling including objectives of soil monitoring and parts of a monitoring plan. It covers site characterization, selection of sampling approach and factors that affect sample reliability. The document also addresses selection of area, sampling point, parameters and equipment for sampling. Finally, it discusses guidelines for handling and storage of soil samples including preservation techniques, as well as pre-treatment and extraction of contaminants from soil.

1. SOIL SAMPLING
SOIL & SEDIMENT SAMPLING
Yong Soon Kong (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Applied Sciences
Universiti Teknologi MARA
MALAYSIA

2. TABLE OF CONTENT
3.1 Basic Principles of Soil Sampling
3.2 Site selection
3.3 Selection of sampling approach
3.4 Selection of area, sampling point, and parameters for sampling
3.5 Selection of sampling equipment
3.6 Guidelines for handling and storage of soil sample
3.7 Pretreatment and extraction technique for contaminants in soil

3. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SOIL
SAMPLING

4. VARIOUS OBJECTIVES OF SOIL MONITORING
• Detecting monitoring - the main objective of the monitoring project
to detect the presence or absence of a given contaminant.
• Assessment monitoring - the main objective of the plan is to
determine the extent of known contamination.
• Performance monitoring - the objective of the plan to evaluate the
feasibility and required financial burden for the remediation of a pre-
investigated area.
• Research monitoring - the monitoring process to be a part of a follow-
up plan to evaluate the success of remediation efforts.

5. PARTS OF MONITORING PLAN
An integrated monitoring plan comprises generally of the following
essential parts:
1. Site characterisation
2. Data acquisition
3. Data quality control
4. Interpretation
5. Reporting

6. SITE CHARACTERIZATION
• Information about the investigated site (i.e., geological, pedological,
hydrogeological, and historical data about land use) should be analysed.
• Geomorphic and pedological characteristics of the area from the following
types of maps should be obtained:
• Base map
• Geologic map
• Hydrologic map
• Overburden map
• Class activity: form four groups and present the characteristics of all maps
above.
• See Soil Sampling Strategies , Using the Web Soil Survey Tool video

7. SELECTION OF SAMPLING
APPROACH

8. FACTORS THAT AFFECTS RELIABILITY OF SAMPLES
• The reliability of samples, as representatives for the environmental
conditions in the investigated area, depends principally on:
• frequency of sampling,
• technical procedures of sample collection,
• Objective,
• technical errors of the operator,
• storing,
• Handling,
• treatment of samples in the course of their collection,
• transport to the laboratory.

9. Fundamental Sampling Error
 The source of most sampling errors
 Due to the fact that not all particles have the
same composition
 Cannot be eliminated, but can be estimated
 Results in variability and a lack of precision
 Particle size, sample mass, and degree of
heterogeneity are important factors

10. Grouping and Segregation Error
 Due to the fact that not all particles are
randomly distributed
 size, shape, concentration
 temporal differences
 segregation
 Can be reduced
 random sampling
 collection of multiple increments

11. How Many Samples?
There is no “cookbook” approach
Consider an iterative approach
Need to take into account
 Heterogeneity
o distributional
o compositional
o morphological
 Degree of accuracy
 Variability of constituents
 Composite?
Pitard (1993); Runnells et al. (1997); USEPA (2002); Price (2009)
Pitard “rule of thumb” that a
sample should be made up of at
least 30 increments

12. Need to Collect more Sample Mass when
Excessive sample size or amount should be avoided for
financial/logistic consideration (i.e., storage, transportation,
and disposal).

13. Sampling for Soil Horizon
Smith, D.B., Solano, Federico, Woodruff, L.G., Cannon, W.F., and Ellefsen, K.J., 2019,
Geochemical and mineralogical maps, with interpretation, for soils of the conterminous United
States: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2017-
5118, https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20175118. [https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2017/5118/]

14. Sampling Strategy for Mine Piles
1. Divide pile into at least 30 cells of roughly
equal surface area and randomly collect a
surficial sample from each cell
2. Combine cell samples into a mine-pile
composite sample
3. Dry sieve the mine-pile composite sample to
<2 mm
4. Final composite sample should weigh at least
1 kg after sieving
14

15. Sampling Strategy for Mine Piles, cont.
One 30-increment
mine-pile composite
sample collected using
this sampling strategy
contains as much
information, relative
to average value, as
30 individual grab
samples at 1/30 of the
analytical cost
Smith et al. (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007)
1 composite sample is
analyzed instead of
30 grab samples
15

16. Soil Sample Amount
• Depends of the number of physicochemical characterization. A
minimum of approximately 200 g of soil is needed for each
characterization.
• A dry mass of approximately 5–100 g is needed for contaminant
analysis.
• More soil samples are needed if contaminants are not accumulated in
the soils, and vice versa.
• 15 L is required for bioaccumulation tests (based on an average of 3 L
sediment per test chamber and 5 replicates), and 8–16 L sediment is
needed to conduct benthic macro-intevertebrate assessments (EPA,
2001).

17. SELECTION OF AREA, SAMPLING
POINT, AND PARAMETERS FOR
SAMPLING

18. LOCATION OF SAMPLE POINTS
• Spatial patterns of sampling:
• the simple rectilinear grid type:
• Systematic grid pattern
• Random block pattern
• the traverse type
• Open traverse
• Closed traverse

22. Whole Field Area = ~150 acres
Figure 6. Initially sampled on a 2.5 acre grid (area composite
sample), similar adjacent grid units have been combined for re-
sampling. The number of samples has been reduced from 56 to
33. Re-sampling “grid size” now ranges from 2.5 to 15 acres

23. Table 2. Acceptable commercial testing laboratory performance in Indiana for
common soil tests.

24. SELECTION OF SAMPLING
EQUIPMENT

25. TOOL FOR SAMPLING SOIL - AUGER
• Depths of soil sampling points as
recommended by the UN/ECE ICP Forests
programme (UN/ECE ICP Forests 1994):
0–5 cm, 5–10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 40–80
cm.
• Soil augers is used for sampling depths
from 1 to 2 metres.

26. • Use a trowel or sampling
tube to collect soil samples.
TOOL FOR SAMPLING SOIL - TUBE

27. CLASS ACTIVITY
Form five groups and present the characteristics of:
i. light power augers,
ii. box-type samplers,
iii. Hillier peat borer,
iv. Russian peat borer,
v. piston sampler.

28. THE DIFFERENT ZONES OF GROUNDWATER
• the vadose zone also known as the aerated
zone or the unsaturated zone is that column
reaching down to the water table. It may be
intermittently saturated.
• At the base of the vadose zone there is a
region where the water rising by capillary
pressure from the water table forms a fringe,
the height of which depends on the pore sizes
of the sediments.
• The capillary fringe forms a transition zone
between the permanently saturated phreatic
zone and the vadose zone.
• The water table (the upper layer of the saturated
zone) forms the base of the capillary fringe.

29. CLASSIFICATION: SOIL SOLUTION SAMPLING METHODS

30. • Centrifuge drainage
• Saturation extract method
• water is added to change the
concentration of some anions.
• The original concentrations can be
recalculated if the water content of the
soil sample and the amount of water
added is known.
DESTRUCTIVE
SAMPLING SOIL SOLUTION

31. NON-DESTRUCTIVE
SAMPLING SOIL SOLUTION
• Zero-tension lysimeters
• For saturated soil
• Suction (tension) lysimeter
• For unsaturated soil
• Instructional video

33. SAMPLING SOIL AIR
• Simple method: air extraction from holes bored with an auger using a
manual suction pump, the collected samples should be stored in
airtight stainless steel or glass containers before being sent to the
laboratory.
• Advanced methods: soil air is sucked through a probe, rammed in the
soil to a depth of about 1m, by pumps mounted on a vehicle
equipped with proper analytical facilities.
• Passive sampling: uses an activated charcoal rod buried in the soil as
an in situ adsorbent for VOCs. After a few days or weeks the charcoal
rod is retrieved and analysed by gas chromatography or any other
suitable analytical method.

34. Equipment for Sediment Sampling
• Common sampling tools used
for sediment:
1. Ekman dredge
2. Petersen dredge
3. Ponar dredge
4. Sediment core sampler

35. GUIDELINES FOR HANDLING
AND STORAGE OF SOIL SAMPLE

36. Preservation for Soil Samples
• Soils are usually air-dried after sampling. However, if soils or
sediments are anaerobic, it should not be exposed to air.
• Chemical preservatives are usually not needed for soil samples.
• This is the only common chemical preservation method for soil
samples is the addition of methanol or sodium bisulfate for VOC
analysis (Popek, 2003).
• Wide-mouth containers are used for soil samples.

37. SOIL PRESERVATION FOR VOC ANALYSIS
• Samples are preserved in methanol for “high level” analysis
– Calibration range increases to 200 μg/kg with only a 5 gram sample.
• Samples are preserved in sodium bisulfate for “low level” analysis
– Method Detection Limits down to 0.5 μg/Kg and concentrations < 200 μg/Kg
• Field preservation is typically done at a 1:1 ratio (weight/volume) of soil and
preservative
• Pre-preserved vials supplied by the laboratory are weighed to allow calculation of soil
sample weight – careful not to add additional label!
• Soil samples are based on volume and weigh approximately 5, 10, or 25 grams based
on sample type
• Hold time for samples is 14 days when chilled @ 4 oC

38. Collecting Samples for Field Preservation with Methanol
• Using a Terra Core sampler, place a 5
gram plug of soil into pre-preserved
vial containing methanol
• 1:1 or greater weight/volume ratio of
soil to methanol
• Operation must be done quickly to
prevent VOC loss
• Tared weight of methanol vials should
be verified before samples are
collected
Safety Note!
• Methanol is a toxic and
flammable liquid.
• It must be handled with all
required safety precautions
related to toxic and
flammable liquids.
• Methanol must be handled
in a ventilated area.
• Use protective gloves
when handling the
methanol vials.
• Store methanol away from
sources of ignition such as
extreme heat or open
flames.
38

39. Collecting Samples for Field Preservation
with Sodium Bisulfate
• Using a Terra Core sampler, place 5 gram plug of soil into pre-preserved
vial containing 20% sodium bisulfate aqueous solution
• Calcareous soil types should be checked for effervescence prior to
sampling or vial may explode!
• 1:1 or greater weight/volume soil/preservative ratio
• Two vials are collected (plus a MeOH preserved vial)
• Collect an additional 3 vials for an MS/MSD
• Tared weight of pre-preserved vials should be verified before samples are
collected

40. PROCEDURAL PRECAUTIONS - CHAIN OF
CUSTODY
• Samples shall be custody sealed during long-term storage or shipment.
• Collected samples are in the custody of the sampler or sample custodian
until the samples are relinquished to another party.
• If samples are transported by the sampler, they will remain under his/her
custody or be secured until they are relinquished.
• Documentation of field sampling is done in a bound logbook.
• Chain-of-custody documents shall be filled out and remain with the
samples until custody is relinquished.
• All shipping documents, such as air bills, bills of lading, etc., shall be
retained by the project leader in the project files.

41. PRE-TREATMENT AND
EXTRACTION TECHNIQUE FOR
CONTAMINANTS IN SOIL

42. EXTRACTION OF ORGANIC FROM SOIL
• Accelerated
Solvent
Extraction