P3 Physical fieldwork

Question 1

state the physical fieldwork enquiry

Answer 1

Does the River Wyre follow the Bradshaw model?

Question 2

describe the aim of the physical fieldwork

Answer 2

• help us understand how rivers change as they flow downstream
• considers a wide range of characteristics
• able to draw a definitive yes or no conclusion to the question

Question 3

describe why River Wyre was a suitable location for our human enquiry

Answer 3

• relatively nearby - easy/quick to get to
• easy access from road to river+ footpaths - safe
• in shallow upper course of the river - safe to enter the stream bed
• characteristics of a typical river - should follow Bradshaw model

Question 4

describe the risk assessment for physical fieldwork (3)

Answer 4

• slippery rocks/ difficult ground: risk of injury -> wear footwear with good grip
• bad weather: wet/windy due to high altitude -> wear suitable clothing+ jacket
• nearby road: moving traffic -> walk in single file

Question 5

evaluate effectiveness of drawing triangular bars (next to the Bradshaw model) as a presentation technique to show changes in characteristics P

Answer 5

• extremely effective
• summarises data collected into a simple diagram
• easy to interpret+ form a conclusion - shows the gradual change as you move downstream+ whether it increases/decreases
• easily compared to the bars in the Bradshaw model - provides a direct yes or no answer to the enquiry

Question 6

state characteristics measured+ methods used in physical fieldwork (3)

Answer 6

• velocity - systematic sampling
• channel width+ depth - systematic sampling
• stone size+shape - random sampling

Question 7

justify the data collection method used to find velocity P

Answer 7

• repeated 5 times to calculate an average - increases accuracy
• ignored anomalies when finding average - increases accuracy
• repeated if float got stuck - increases accuracy
• measured time taken+ distance travelled to calculate velocity
• calculated velocity at each site to see how velocity changed further downstream

Question 8

describe the interpretation of velocity from method P

Answer 8

• velocity increases further downstream
• follows Bradshaw model
• due to decrease in obstructions in river channel (less large rocks) - rocks become smaller due to attrition+abrasion
• rocks downstream are eroded by abrasion+ attrition so become smooth - reduces friction+ water can flow over them more easily

Question 9

evaluate effectiveness of data collection method calculating velocity P

Answer 9

/ float times were mostly similar so method+data was highly accurate
X high chance of human error (starting stopwatch too early/ too late due to reaction time)

Question 10

suggest improvements to data collection method calculating velocity P

Answer 10

• larger sample size (more sections of river) - results more representative of entire river
• use sites in lower+middle course - shows a greater change in velocity

Question 11

evaluate effectiveness of velocity presentation technique

Answer 11

bar graph:
/ shows exact figures so reliable, easy to identify anomalies to remove from results so reduces bias, indicates the reliability of our method+data
X doesn’t show velocity (shows time taken) - not usable to draw conclusions
scatter graph:
/ easy to interpret as shows (positive) correlation
X

Question 12

justify the data collection method used to find stone size/shape

Answer 12

• picked a rock from river bed at every 0.5m without looking - ensures results were systematic+ unbiased
• measured length/ width/ height of each stone - calculated an average to eliminate random errors+ increase accuracy
• both showed how the size+shape of rocks changes as you move downstream - shows effects of erosion and whether the river follows the model

Question 13

describe interpretation of stone size+shape from method P

Answer 13

• stones are smaller downstream - eroded by abrasion+ attrition breaking them into smaller pieces
• stones are more rounded downstream - surface of rocs eroded by abrasion+ attrition

Question 14

evaluate the effectiveness of the method used to find stone size+shape P

Answer 14

stone size:
/ provides unbiased results as rocks collected systematically+ without looking
X small sample size at locations in upper course (site 1 had a narrow channel so only 4 rocks collected) which increases bias
stone shape:
/ can identify modal stone shape for each site as largest number in each row
X unreliable as based on personal opinion (qualitative data so subjective) so results are not reproducible

Question 15

state improvements to the method used to find stone size+shape P

Answer 15

• collect 30 rocks at each site - larger sample size provides a more precise average size+ modal shape

Question 16

evaluate effectiveness of the presentation techniques used for stone size+shape

Answer 16

scaled drawings of average rock size:
/ visual data representation is easy to see size comparison
X only shows rock length+ width so less data available for analysis
stone shape table:
/ largest number in each row circled so easy to identify modal shape for each site