Geographical Investigations

Question 1

What is the river’s fieldwork enquiry question?

Answer 1

How and why do channel characteristics of the Carding Mill Valley influence flood risk for people and property?

Question 2

What are the 3 sub questions that were investigated during the fieldwork?

Answer 2

• How do the stream characteristics change as you move down the channel?
• Why do channel characteristics change as you move down the valley- can you link this to the Bradshaw model?
• What is the risk of flooding and how do the channel characteristics influence this?

Question 3

What are the channel characteristics that you are measuring?

Answer 3

Velocity
Depth
Width

Question 4

How do you choose methods to work out how characteristics change?

Answer 4

You use a SMART method:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Reliable
Timely

Question 5

Where is Carding Mill Valley located?

Answer 5

On the England-Wales border
50 miles from Birmingham (not too far away)
Runs through Church Stratton

Question 6

Why is the Carding Mill Valley a suitable investigation location?

Answer 6

Safe (not to deep)
Accessible (can walk to river)
Can be reached in a day
Relevant to the enquiry question

Question 7

What is the landscape of the Carding Mill Valley like?

Answer 7

Lots of vegetation
Steep, v-shaped valley
Waterfalls
Leisure routes
Tributaries
Foot bridges

Question 8

How do humans use the valley and how are they affected by it?

Answer 8

• Spa tourism (Victorian era)
• Wool and cotton mills in the 1800s: narrower channel and more flooding
• Modern tourism (earns 250,000/ year): less vegetation and more flooding
• 3000 sheep are farmed: less vegetation and more flooding

Question 9

What secondary evidence did you use in your investigation?

Answer 9

• Environmental agency flood risk map

- National trust newspaper article

Question 10

Assess the advantaged and disadvantages of the flood risk map:

Answer 10

\+Appropriate colours (understandable)
\+Clear key
\+Property is indicated clearly
-Generalised
-Hard to see actual river

Question 11

How could the flood risk map be improved?

Answer 11

• Add a scale: time period

- Add a depth scale

Question 12

Assess the advantages and disadvantages of the newspaper article:

Answer 12

+Clear facts
+Photos make it easy to understand
-Outdated
-Vague

Question 13

How could the newspaper article be improved?

Answer 13

Talk about more river locations

Talk about Valley characteristics

Question 14

How do the pieces of secondary data support the investigation?

Answer 14

M- Clearly demonstrates flood risks to people and property
A- Information on flood impacts
A- Locational evidence
A- Channel characteristics are shown

Question 15

Why are the river investigation locations suitable?

Answer 15

• 4 sites show river changes
• Shows both high and low risk sites
• 3 out of 4 sites are easily accessible

Systematic sampling for 3 of the sites to avoid bias
Stratified sampling for 4th site to show high risk areas

Question 16

What were the 3 data collection methods?

Answer 16

Width: Ranging poles and tape measure
Depth: Tape measure ans measure the depth every 25cm
Velocity: Time for ping-pong ball to float over 10m

Question 17

How did you record qualitative data?

Answer 17

Detailed, labelled field sketches

Question 18

How did you represent data for your fieldwork?

Answer 18

• Cross section of channel
• Average velocity in m/s
• Discharge in m^3/s

Question 19

How did the channel characteristics change downstream?

Answer 19

Increased stream depth
Increased stream width
Increased discharge
Decreased valley shape
Increased human influences 
Decreased vegetation

Question 20

How could you improve the quantitative data collection methods?

Answer 20

Velocity-Use a flow meter

Velocity-Use a floating object heavier than a ping pong ball

Question 21

How could you improve the qualitative data collection methods?

Answer 21

Take a photo for increased accuracy

Question 22

What is the enquiry question for the Birmingham fieldwork?

Answer 22

Investigate how and why quality of life varies within urban areas.

Question 23

What type of sample did you use to choose your sites?

Answer 23

Stratified to demonstrate different areas of the city

Question 24

Where were your fieldwork sample sites?

Answer 24

Meriden
Hall Green
Sparkbrook

Question 25

Which other sites did you visit and what did you investigate there?

Answer 25

Moseley: Gentrification
Highgate: Improvements in the inner city
Park central in Lee Bank: Sustainability in the inner city
Birminghams CBD
Aston University: Studentification 
Eastside/ Millenium Point: Regeneration

Question 26

What primary methods did you use to investigate your EQ?

Answer 26

Quantitative: environmental survey
Qualitative: field sketches
Qual and Quant: questionnaire

Question 27

What secondary methods did you use to investigate your EQs?

Answer 27

Census data (Nomis): Investigating employment
IMD data: Investigating income

Question 28

Which methods did you use to present your data?

Answer 28

Bar charts/ line graphs
Stacked bar charts on a base map
Word clouds
Field sketches

Question 29

How was your location suitable for your cities fieldwork?

Answer 29

Easily accessible within a day

Large, significant contrasts in quality of life

Question 30

How were the sites suitable for the cities fieldwork?

Answer 30

3 sites are easy to understand, remember and contrast.

However, hall green didn’t fully represent the suburbs.