fieldwork Flashcards
title of physical geography investigation
to investigate the effect of trampling on the abundance and diversity of vegetation at Reigate Heath, Surrey
title of human geography investigation
to investigate the pattern of housing and environmental quality in Reigate
factors to consider when choosing a suitable hypothesis
location- accessible?
- expensive/ cheap?
- is there data to collect?
geographical theory for physical investigation
changes affecting
ecosystem balance,
food webs,
conflicting land uses, vegetation succession, environmental sustainability
primary data sources (P)
data from original source
tallest species
% of vegetation cover
species count
height of footpath
secondary data sources (P)
data from a secondary source
historical data
OS map
management plan for reigate heath
describe the location of Reigate Heath
south of A25
west of Reigate town centre
reigate
uses of reigate heath
walking
relaxation
explore wildlife
golf course
management of reigate heath
if deforestation occurs- tree stumps left intact- encourages insect species diversity
retaining/aiming for 38% as woodland, 35% as grassland
risk assessment for
tree stumps and uneven ground
risk of trips, foot injuries
wear sturdy shoes
no running
carry a first aid kit
risk assessment for
adders
risk of snake bites
contact site manager to see if snakes present
call 999
students move slowly around site
risk assessment for
ticks
risk of lyme disease
wear long sleeved clothing
be aware of lyme disease symptoms
explain the steps of data collection using quadrats
measure 20m (tape measure) along a footpath
place quadrat record:
% vegetation, number of species, height of tallest plant
why is data collection better in summer
species are in full bloom- easy to identify different species
what was the sampling method
systemic sampling
quadrat placed every metre
positives of using quadrats
cheap
allows study of vegetation over a range of areas
good to show vegetation distribution
negatives of using quadrats
only an estimate of % vegetation- inaccurate
difficult to separate ground and plants resting horizontally
strengths of primary data
data is reliable
data is specific to enquiry
The method of the collection is known
It is up to date
negatives of primary data
Time-consuming
may need specialist equipment/resources
sample size needs to be large to be accurate
strengths of secondary data
Easy to access
Low cost or free
A large amount of data sources are available
negatives of secondary data
not specific to the enquiry
No control over the data quality
Data may be biased
Data may be out of date
difference between quantitative data and qualitative data
quantitative- records quantities e.g
Traffic counts
River data: velocity, discharge
Weather data
EQS
qualitative data- records descriptive information, e.g:
Field sketches
photos
Interview answers
purpose of sampling and types of sampling
not enough time to measure the whole area
provides a valid sample of the whole population
systemic
random
stratified
pros/ cons of random sampling
Least biased
all sample sites have an equal chance of being selected
Can be used with a large sample area
poor representation of overall population if the random sites miss large areas
Some sites selected may not be accessible or safe
pros/ cons of systemic sampling
easy and quick
more straightforward than random sampling
covers the whole area equally
increased bias
Not all sites have an equal chance of being selected
pros/ cons of stratified sampling
can be used alongside systematic and random sampling
Comparisons can be made between sub-sets
The proportions of sub-sets must be known and accurate
strengths/limitations of bar graphs
Summarises a large set of data
Easy to interpret and construct
shows trends clearly
Does not show causes, effects or patterns
Only used with discrete data
strengths/limitations of line graphs
Shows trends and patterns clearly
quick, easy to construct
easy to interpret
Does not show causes or effects
if there are multiple lines on a graph it can be confusing
strengths/limitations of pie charts
Clearly shows the proportion of the whole
Easy to compare different components
Easy to label
Do not show changes over time
Difficult to understand with no clear labelling
Hard to compare two sets of data
strengths/limitations of scatter graphs
Clearly shows data correlation
Shows data spread
Easy to see anomalies
Data points cannot be labeled
Too many data points can make it difficult to read
strengths/limitations of chloropleth maps
The clear visual impression of the changes over space Makes it seem as if there is an abrupt change in the boundary
Shows a large amount of data
Distinguishing between shades can be difficult
Groupings are flexible Variations within the value set are not visible
strengths/limitations of proportional symbols map
strengths/limitations of photographs
strengths/limitations of maps
strengths/limitations of field sketches
