Fieldwork Summary - Physical Geography

Question 1

Primary Data Collection Methods:

Answer 1

Beach Height Measurements: Sediment height was measured each side of the
groynes at 3 points, measured by a meter ruler. This was to find out if longshore
drift was happening here.

Sediment Movement Foil Ball: Foil ball was placed in the water and its
movement was timed for 2 minutes. The distance the egg travelled along the coast
was measured using metre rulers from start to end point along beach. To be
repeated 3x to show movement. Goal to determine if LSD was happening.

Question 2

Primary Data Collection Method: Beach Height Measurements

Answer 2

Reason/ Justification: this technique helped me answer the original question.
Groynes are used to stop longshore drift. If this process was happening, we would
find higher sediment on one side of the groyne than another. This would imply
successful coastal management.

Question 3

Risk Management During Fieldwork:

Answer 3

Cliff Collapse: danger to students working along beach.

Solution: Safe distance kept from cliff. Staff monitored students and
the distance.

Ocean Currents: risk of being pulled to sea, if students entered water.

Solution: Staff stood between the students and the sea to prevent
unnecessary risk.

Question 4

Strengths of Data Presentation Techniques Used:

Answer 4

Beach Height – Split Bar Graph.

Strength 1: these graphs allowed me to easily compare the heights on
the two sides of the groynes. Different colours for each side made
this clear.

Strength 2: they showed the pattern of heights (is it just found on one
groyne or all of them?) and therefore if longshore drift is acting along
the coastline

Question 5

Alternative Data Presentation Method:

Answer 5

Table: we could have put the foil ball data onto a base map of Swanage Bay. We could have used proportional symbols like arrows to show 1) the direction of
LSD, and 2) the distance the foil ball moved (by changing the size of the arrows).

This could have helped visual the data spatially, allowing us to clearly see the presence or absence of LSD.

Question 6

Justification of Statistical Techniques Used:

Answer 6

Range (difference between highest and lowest values): this would show the spread of height data at each of the 4 locations. It would show how
consistent/ similar the results are at each groyne. This helps me see how precise my measurements were and how repeatable (externally reliable) my study
is.

Mean (average): this was found for heights of both sides of all groynes. This made it easier to summarise findings and draw conclusions about the
presence of longshore drift along this coastline.

Median: Also used to find out if the mean was heavily skewed by anomalies. Could reveal reliability (consistency) issues.

Question 7

Patterns shown in Primary Dataset: Beach Height Measurement

Answer 7

Pattern: The beach was consistently higher on one side of the groynes than the other. This pattern was found for all groynes and all measurements. An average
difference of 26cm was found between the two sides.

Anomalies (exceptions): I found no anomalies in this dataset.

Question 8

Limitations of Primary Data Collected:

Answer 8

We only repeated the foil ball test three times, and at one time, and on one day. This may not have allowed for enough repetition to produce reliable
results. Differences in wind direction and tidal heights may have affected results.

Inconsistent placement in the water. Greater distance into sea affected the movement of the ball across the coastline.

The ball floats on the surface of the water. It was not transported as sediment would be. It did not follow swash and backwash of waves as clearly as
sediment and so was not affected consistently by longshore drift.

Improvement: Used painted rocks of specific size and weight. Place on beach in swash zone. Time movement of rocks multiple times. Measure distance
using laser range finder. Repeat over multiple days and at different times.