Bayesian Spectral Modeling of Microscale Spatial Distributions in a Multivariate Soil Matrix

TL;DR

This paper introduces a spectral analysis-based multivariate spatial model that infers conditional relationships among soil variables without relying on pre-specified neighborhood structures, offering a flexible and efficient alternative to traditional MCAR models.

Contribution

The proposed spectral approach allows for non-separable, computationally efficient inference of multivariate spatial dependencies without predefined neighborhood assumptions.

Findings

Successfully modeled arsenic and soil element distributions

Quantified conditional dependencies between soil variables

Provided insights for environmental health mitigation

Abstract

Recent technological advances have enabled researchers in a variety of fields to collect accurately geocoded data for several variables simultaneously. In many cases it may be most appropriate to jointly model these multivariate spatial processes without constraints on their conditional relationships. When data have been collected on a regular lattice, the multivariate conditionally autoregressive (MCAR) models are a common choice. However, inference from these MCAR models relies heavily on the pre-specified neighborhood structure and often assumes a separable covariance structure. Here, we present a multivariate spatial model using a spectral analysis approach that enables inference on the conditional relationships between the variables that does not rely on a pre-specified neighborhood structure, is non-separable, and is computationally efficient. Covariance and cross-covariance functions are defined in the spectral domain to obtain computational efficiency. Posterior inference on the correlation matrix allows for quantification of the conditional dependencies. The approach is illustrated for the toxic element arsenic and four other soil elements whose relative concentrations were measured on a spatial lattice. Understanding conditional relationships between arsenic and other soil elements provides insights for mitigating poisoning in southern Asia and elsewhere.