Coastal fieldwork

Question 1

Primary data

Answer 1

Data that is collected first hand in order to answer a specific geographical question

Question 2

Secondary data

Answer 2

Data collected by someone else that has value for your investigation but not specifically made for it

Question 3

Qualitative data

Answer 3

data depicting information and concepts that are not represented by numbers e.g., pictures

Question 4

Quantitative data

Answer 4

numerical data that can be easily made into presentations like graphs

Question 5

Random sampling

Answer 5

selecting without pattern or bias

Question 6

Stratified sampling

Answer 6

dividing the study into subsets (strata) then taking samples that are representative of the importance of each subset

Question 7

Systematic sampling

Answer 7

a type of sampling conducted along a transect. Data is collected at regular intervals along the transect line.

Question 8

How to collect beach profile

Answer 8

1. One person stands a water edge with ranging pole inserted into the sand perpendicular to the beach
2. Person two stands in line at the start of the next facet where beach gradient changes (or if completing systematic sampling at the specified distance) with another ranging pole
3. Person 3 uses measuring tape to measure distance between the two ranging poles
4. Person 1 uses the clinometer to measure the gradient between the two poles - the knob is aligned with the colour change at the top of pole 1, and the same point on pole 2 is looked at through the transparent plastic
5. repeat for each facet and record results in a table

Question 9

Quantitative data examples

Answer 9

Wave count - count the number of waves that break at the beach over a period of 2 minutes. Time the 2 minutes using a stopwatch. Repeat thrice and take an average.

Beach profile - to determine the gradient of the beach. Use a ranging pole and clinometer to determine whether it was an area of deposition or erosion

Question 10

Qualitative data examples

Answer 10

Questionnaires - ask 50 people on the beach a range of open and closed questions. E.g., are they aware of the different coastal processes taking place (e.g., longshore drift)?

Photographs - to identify the landforms present along the beach

Question 11

Enquiry question

Answer 11

What coastal processes affect Cheung Sha beach and what coastal management strategies have been used?

Question 12

Risks of undertaking fieldwork in a coastal region

Answer 12

• Rough and unpredictable landscape makes it hard to conduct beach gradient measurements
• Area might be on the edge of a cliff (inconvenient location), which makes it difficult and dangerous to collect data

Question 13

Hard engineering techniques used to manage coastlines

Answer 13

• Sea walls block waves, protecting land of economic value behind by dissipating wave energy
• Groynes prevent longshore drift by absorbing wave energy, therefore leading to less erosion and flooding
• Rock armour absorbs wave energy and reflects it back before reaching the city to prevent shingles from getting in

Question 14

Soft engineering techniques used to manage coastlines

Answer 14

• Beach replenishment: sand brought to the middle of 2 islands + bulldozer used to level the sand. Increases the beach’s gradient, which leads to waves breaking further from shore and increased tourism due to better beach
• Living shoreline barrier - planting shoreline vegetation (mangrove) or shellfish colonies (oyster reefs) to absorb wave energy between shore and sea