Paper 3 - Physical fieldwork Flashcards
What is the title of the physical fieldwork?
How does the cross-section of the River Tarell change as we move downstream?
What theory do we test our physical fieldwork against?
Bradshaws model
What makes a fieldwork question suitable for a geographical enquiry?
if it is:
- small-scale
- easily repeatable – testable
- has a model to test/theory to test
- place is easy to reach
- if there are methods/data available
- got to be geographical
What makes our physical fieldwork question suitable for a geographical enquiry?
- 1 small river - look in a day
- small scale
- geographical
- easy to get to
- we can test it against Bradshaws model
Why was our physical fieldwork question a suitable title? (example answer)
This inquiry is suitable because it is clearly a geographical question because we are focusing on a river. It is also an appropriate scale because we are only finding the depth and width so we can easily collect the data in one day. Because it is close, we can easily get to the river and collect the data.
What does a good location for a fieldwork enquiry need to be like?
- low-risk – pretty shallow
- easy to measure
- easy to get there
- easily accessible
- practicalities – safety – access – scale
- links to geography
- availability, reliability and accuracy of data
- capacity collect sufficient information to draw reasoned conclusions
Explain two factors that you considered when picking the location of your fieldwork? (4 marks)
One reason I chose the river Tarell was because of practicalities. It was easy to get there so I could get there and back in one day. It was also easily accessible so I could easily collect data from the source to the mouth and compare it to Bradshaws theory. Another reason I picked the river Tarell is because the river isn’t too deep or dangerous so I can safely test it without getting hurt.
What did Bradshaw’s model say about rivers?
- It would get wider downstream
- It would get deeper downstream
- SO the cross section should get larger
What are the risks of the location we chose for the physical fieldwork?
- falling into river
- getting lost
- twisting ankle
- busy roads
- hypothermia
What actions could we take to reduce these risks from our location? (physical fieldwork)
- choose location carefully to get into river - so you don’t fall in
- mobile device/map - so you don’t get lost
- wear walking boots - so you don’t twist your ankle
- cross road as a group - so don’t get hit by a car
- wear appropriate clothing - to reduce hypothermia
What is primary data?
Data that you collect yourself
e.g. measuring width of a river
What is secondary data?
Data that has been collected by another organisation
e.g. the census
Why did we measure the width of the river?
- We wanted to see how the cross-section of the river Tarell change downstream, cross sections are made up of width x depth so we had to measure the width
- Bradshaw suggested that the width would increase as you go downstream so we had to measure this to see if that was true
What were good things about measuring the width of the river?
- It was quick and easy to measure
- We used portable and cheap equipment
What were bad things about measuring the width of the river?
- In the middle and lower course, the tape measure was tugged on by the fast river so the data is less accurate
- But we overcame this by adding more people to hold it in a straight line
What was the overall view about measuring the width of the river?
- Quick, easy and gave fairly accurate measurements
- So overall successful
- it followed Bradshaws model
Why did we measure the depth of the river?
- We wanted to see how the cross-section of the river Tarell changed downstream, cross sections are made up of width x depth, so we had to measure the depth
- Bradshaw suggested that the depth would increase so we had to measure this to see if that was true
What were good things about measuring the depth of the river?
- easy and quick
- portable and cheap equipment
- measured five times so created more accurate results
What were bad things about measuring the depth of the river?
- As we moved downstream the gaps between the measurements became further apart so was less accurate
- In faster currents, it was harder to keep the stick straight
What was the overall view about measuring the depth of the river?
- Quick, easy and gave fairly accurate results
- So overall successful
- it followed Bradshaws model
What is Stratified sampling?
taking a sample from each group (upper/middle/lower course)
Why did we use stratified sampling?
- We chose 10 sites spaced out along the long profile
- 3 in the upper, 4 in the middle, 3 in the lower
- We did this to see changes along along profile
- Some of the river was difficult to access (private) or too dangerous to get into (too deep/fast flowing) so we had to choose our sites to an extent
Why was using stratified sampling good?
- see how it changes + compare it to Bradshaw’s model
- can choose the sights so it’s accessible
Why was using stratified sampling bad?
choosing safer sites may be shallower so you influence results
What was the overall view of using stratified sampling?
What secondary data did you use?
Google earth
Why did you use secondary data (google earth)?
- to familiarise myself with the area of the fieldwork before going out on the field trip
- to choose suitable sites for data collection based on accessibility
- to add to my primary data
