Fieldwork Flashcards
What is the Human enquiry question
To what extent does traffic management contribute to the sustainability of Cambridge city centre
What is the Physical enquiry question
How have groynes affected longshore drift at Hunstanton
Justification of Physical Question
We know from classwork that groynes are designed to trap material which is transported by longshore drift. This is because groynes are built at 90° to the beach, working against the natural process. As the prevailing wind causes the swash to approach the beach at an angle, the sediment is carried with it. Once the sediment hits the groyne, it can travel no further and is then deposited. Over time this material accumulates, causing the width of the beach to increase. This should also cause the beach to be higher on one side of the groyne
Locaton of Physical Fieldwork
- 2 hours away on the coach
- 80 miles to the North East of Bedford. North Coast of Norfolk
Justification of Physical Fieldwork Location
- Accessibility - Can get there in 2 hour on the coach - closest coastline to School
- Low Risk - Low chances of accident/injury at this location
- Hunstanton has one area with groynes and another area without groynes so comparison can be made
Risks
Slips, Trips and Falls - How to reduce
Physical - Hunstanton
Wear appropiate footwear with good grip
Risks
Cold and Wet Weather - Hot and sunny
How to Reduce
Physical - Hunstanton
Wearing Warm and waterproof clothes
Have a hat, water and sun cream
Risks
Drowning in sea
How to Reduce
Physical - Hunstanton
Don’t go into the sea and stay 1m away from the sea when taking measurements
How was the Beach Height at groynes test done
- Measure distance from top of groyne to beach using metre stick
- Repeat this at top, middle and bottom (1m from sea) of groyne and on both sides of the groyne
- Systematic sampling -every 3rd groyne
- 3 groynes in total
Why was the Beach Height at groynes test done
It will be measured to look at the longer-term trends in LSD at Hunsanton and how groynes work against the natural processes of longshore drift. We hope to demonstrate that the sediment is built upon the side from which the prevailing wind approaches it.
What were the problems with the Beach Height at groynes test
- Only measured 3 groynes - relatively small sample
- Some groynes selected by sampling method were damaged and the data collected from these generated anomalies
- Measurement closest to sea was not at end of groyne due to H&S requirement
What were the improvement for the Beach Height at groynes test
- Collect data from more groynes to represent a wider sample of data - time constraints need to be considered
- This would mean any anomalies from damaged groynes would have a less significant impact on overall data
How was the Beach Width test done
- Measure the distance from the bottom of the cliff face/sea wall to 1m from the sea by pacing out the distance
- Systematic Sampling - Do this at the same time as measuring bench height at New Hunstanton. Old Hunstanton, every 150 paces (this is approx. distance between groynes)
- 6 in total, 3 where there are groynes and 3 where there are no groynes
Why was the Beach Width test done
We wanted to see how the groynes had affected LSD. We did this in an area without groynes and we expected a narrower beach because a lack of groynes would mean that there was nothing to interrupt the transportation of material down coast. We repeated this at an area with groynes and hoped to see the groynes trap sediment and therefore make a wider beach, therefore showing how groynes affect LSD
Problems with the Beach Width test
- Each width was measured at different times in the day - morning for New Hunstanton and afternoon for Old Hunstanton. Therefore, the tide had started to come throughout the day - reducing the amount of beach that could be measured
- Inconsistent and variable pace length, therefore not uniform and inaccurate data. The long-distance meat using a metre rule/tape measure was not practical - 200m+ distances
Improvements with the Beach Width test
- All beach widths to be collected at the same time. This would require data to be collected by 6 individuals (one for each width) at a set time - therefore difference in the tide would have no impact on beach width.
- Use trundle wheel to promote accurate data collection instead of pacing
How was the data for the Beach Height at groynes presented
Bar graph (3 separte graohs to represnt the average of top, middle and bottom of groynes)
Why was bar graphs chosen to represent the data for the Beach height at groynes done
So the data from the north and south side of the groynes could be easily compared. A mean was calculated to remove any anomalies and the 4 graphs side by side showed the overall trend for groyne hieght data at New Hunstanton
What were the limitations of the data presentation method for beach height at groynes
The data was based on the average of the top, middle and bottom of the 3 groynes and therefore the bars maybe misleading and could be skewed by any anomalies in the data. This may mean one of the bars is either higher or lower than it should appear
How was the data presented for the Beach Width test
Located proportional symbols. For our 6 locations along the coast, locate a bar at each place to represent the width of the beach. Use squared paper
Why was the data presented the way it was for the beach width test
We want to visually see how the width of the beach varies across the coast. We expect that the beach will be wider in the area that has groynes
What are the limitations for the data presentation for the Beach width test
The only slight negative was the scale we had ti use beause we had a wide range of data. Therefore, knowing the exact beach width without measure the line was difficult
What does describe mean
Quote ‘raw date’ figures
What does analysis mean
Use %, means, modes, medians, IQR.
Are there any patterns?
Are there any anomalies?
What does explain mean
Give reasons for your data, this needs to be supported with geographical understanding
Which was the direction of LSD at Hunstanton
LSD was going from south to north
Description of beach height at groynes results
- Groyne 1: Middle of it: N 51cm - S 125cm
That is the distance from top of groyne to the sand so the north side has more sand.
This is one example that the sand was higher on the north side of groynes
Analysis of Beach Height at Groynes Results
Overall mean - N 89cm S 101cm
This mean shows that the beach is built up on the North side of each groyne
Explanation of Beach Height at Groynes Results
The beach sediment at Hunstanton accumulates on the north side of the groyne due to waves colliding with the groynes at an angle, causing the deposition of sediment. This leads to an increase in the height of the beach and further friction, resulting in more sediment being deposited on the north side. An anomaly in the data was found at the middle of the second groyne, where the beach height was greater on the north side than on the south side. This may be due to the groyne being damaged at that point, which prevented sediment from being trapped as expected.