River Tillingbourne - Fieldwork

Question 1

What was the hypothesis?

Answer 1

The drainage basin and channel characteristics will change as we go downstream and the flood risk will increase

Question 2

Describe the rivers location. What’s its length and what’s the area of the drainage basin

Answer 2

It runs along the south side of the north downs and joins the river Wey at Guildford. It’s 19km in length and has a drainage basin area of 59km squared

Question 3

Give 3 risks and how to manage them

Answer 3

Drowning - must wear the right clothing for working in a river and you must work in safe small groups
Water prune disease - cuts need to covered with plasters and hands need to be sanitised before eating
Getting ill from cold - wear waterproofs and high wellies so your body doesn’t touch the water

Question 4

For the field sketch as methodology,

• Primary/secondary data?
• sample size + technique,
• equipment
• how was the data collected
• why was it used
• what were the limitations

Answer 4

• Primary
• random qualitative sampling
• pen, paper and clipboard
• looked at the environment surrounding the river to draw a labelled diagram
• provides info on the environment and relates to the severity of flooding
• annotations and sketch May not be at an adequate standard

Question 5

For velocity of the river as methodology,

• Primary/secondary data?
• sample size + technique,
• equipment
• how was the data collected
• why was it used
• what were the limitations

Answer 5

• primary data
• quantitative stratified sampling
• hydroprop flow meter, stopwatch, clipboard and pen
• hydropop flow meter was put into the river and timed how long it took the screw to turn done 3 times in both edges and middle of river width
• done to find out the velocity of the river and how it changed down stream and to find river discharge to prove the hypothesis
• person timing had to stop the timer exactly the same as when the screw stopped

Question 6

For the depth of the river as methodology,

• Primary/secondary data?
• sample size + technique,
• equipment
• how was the data collected
• why was it used
• what were the limitations

Answer 6

Primary data
Quantitative systematic sampling
-Tape measure was pulled along the river at the water line then width was / by 11 making each interval of measurement and a person took a meter ruler noting down each depth
-used to find how the depth of the river changed downstream which is important to prove our hypothesis because energy should increase and increase vertical erosion
-you had to make sure the tape measure was right at the waterline

Question 7

For width of the river as methodology,

• Primary/secondary data?
• sample size + technique,
• equipment
• how was the data collected
• why was it used
• what were the limitations

Answer 7

• primary data
• quantitative random sampling
• put the tape measure at the waterline along the width of the river and then take measurements. This was repeated twice more at different sections of the location
• used to find how the river width changed downstream. Important as the hypothesis states the width Will increase further downstream as energy increases causing lateral erosion to the river bank
• tape measure wasn’t always straight as you had to make sure it was at the water line and needed two people to hold it at either end. The edge of the bank was quite hard to judge as were at a gradient