Unit 3 - Physical Fieldwork Flashcards
Explain how the focus of your physical enquiry is linked to the geographical theory?
Processes involved in a river (erosion, attrition, transportation and deposition)
Velocity should increase along a river
As velocity increases, pebble size should decrease and shape should be smoother
Describe the interaction between human and physical geography in this river
Human -
Playground, tennis court, nursery, Miller + Carter restaurant
Physical -
Field, paths, floodplains, trees and hedges
Assess the suitability of the choice of fieldwork location
Advantages -
Easy to travel (via TFL), shallow water = safer, public open space, therefore, less cars
Disadvantages -
10 minute travel time to river, could only access lower course due to private land and overgrown vegetation
Justify the inclusion of the primary date used in your physical enquiry
Velocity and pebble size to indicate a correlation = erosion + energy
Depth and width were also measured to see impact of other variables
Justify the use of one sampling strategy used in your physical enquiry
Random -
Pick 5 pebbles with your eyes shut
Advantages = removes bias
Disadvantage = not a range and can only choose what fits in your hand
Systematic -
Chose pebbles in each width interval (1/4, 1/2 and 3/4)
Advantages = equal space
Disadvantages = vegetation in the way
Stratified -
Small, medium and large pebbles collected
Advantages = range
Disadvantage = bias present
Justify the use of one primary data collection method used in your physical enquiry
Velocity links directly to the question and would be hard to find secondary data on velocity
Velocity was measured at 3 intervals (1/4, 1/2 and 3/4) 3 times each
We used a metre ruler, leaf and stopwatch to measure this
Advantages = easy, straightforward and no high technology needed
Disadvantages = people in the water disrupting the flow, human error in the stopping and starting of the stopwatch, different size leaves may have been used
Risk assessment
Nettles - stay away, or use antiseptic cream or wipes
Injury from rocks - wear appropriate footwear
Water-related disease - use wipes or hand gel before eating or touching your face
Slipping - enter river via sand bags, enter through the shallow part of the river
Justify the use of maps, photographs or field sketches in your physical geography enquiry
A good way to show the location of the investigation
Useful for putting data on
Useful for interpretation
Gives a good visual appreciation of the landscape
A good way of identifying important features
Useful for comparing different sites
A quick way of getting information
Assess how effective your presentation techniques were in representing the data collected in your physical enquiry
Bar graph -
Represents pebble size and average velocity
Advantages = easy to read, colour and simple
Disadvantages = hard to spot anomalies and no line of best fit
Pie chart -
Represents pebble shape and pedestrian count
Advantages = uses percentages, colours and segments
Disadvantages = no correlation and may be too simple
Line graph -
Represents velocity vs pebble size
Advantages = can identify a trend and you can add a line of best fit
Disadvantages = no colour and maximum 2 variables
Describe what your results show
As velocity increased the size of the pebble decreased
Analyse what your results show
Explain what your results show
Can you explain any links between data sets?
A slower velocity equals larger pebbles as the river lacks the energy to carry large
rocks and therefore the rock goes through less erosion
Can you identify any anomalies in your results?
What can you conclude from your results?
To what extent were results of this enquiry helpful in reaching a reliable conclusion?
With reference to your methods, results and conclusions, suggest how your physical geographical enquiry could be improved
Stay for a longer time
Repeat visits in different months or seasons
Spread groups out to limit human interference
Not enough callipers (had to use rulers)
More than one site needs to be covered
