Physical fieldwork Flashcards
Enquiry question:
To investigate how discharge changes downstream
Hypothesis:
The discharge will increase going downstream
Studysite:
River Brett
Locations on the river Brett:
Hitcham pump, Bilderston, Semer Bridge, Hadleigh Weir
Description of River Brett:
small river, flows through countryside of Suffolk in E Anglia
Geology of River Brett:
clay, chalk, sand, gravel
Upper course location:
Hitcham pump
Middle course locations:
Bildeston (meander + river cliff)
Semer Bridge
Lower course location:
Hadleigh Weir (weir and channelisation)
How was width measured:
tape measure from one wet edge to another
How was depth measured:
width/6 and then at each interval a metre stick is used to measure the depth
Velocity:
at each interval, use a hydroprop to measure velocity, by timing the period it takes for the the spinning to stop
Limitations width:
hard to judge wet edge as water is constantly moving
Limitations depth:
parallax error and water splashing on the ruler
Limitations velocity:
human error when timing due to reaction time
Improvements width:
aim to keep the tape measure taught and above the water
Improvements depth:
crouch down and take the reading at eye level, and keep the metre stick perpendicular to flow
Example of risk and a strategy to minimise risk
-hypothermia so wear layers
-low hanging branches so proceed with caution
Example of quantitive technique:
annotating a photo of the site
Reason for quantitive technique:
to identify how geographical processes interact with the natural environment
Limitations of qualitative technique:
subjective
Improvement qualititive technique:
have an example for comparison and a reference
What were the three methods of data representation?
-cross sectional profile
-scatter graphs
-GIS located proportional symbols
positive CSA
represents width and depth of the river visually
