Westwood Ho!

Question 1

How long is the ridge

Answer 1

60m wide and 3km in length

Question 2

Hypothesis based on the assumption that the ridge is a spit

Answer 2

1. pebble size will decrease towards the distal end of the ridge
2. pebble roundness will increase towards the distal end of the ridge
3. the pebble ridge will be wider and higher at the proximal end and narrower at the distal end

Question 3

What is a bar?

Answer 3

A bar is a shingle ridge or bank, that is initially deposited offshore and is covered at high tide

Question 4

What is a spit?

Answer 4

A spit is a shingle ridge created by long-shore drift; the movement of material along a coastline until disrupted by a river or change in coastal direction causing material to be deposited. One end is attached to land, while the other ends in open water, often with a recurved end

Question 5

Evidence that the pebble ridge is a spit

Answer 5

Overtime, the ridge has moved along the beach, suggesting that the material has been moved as a result of long-shore drift, forming a spit
Additionally, the prevailing wind direction towards devon is south westerly from the Atlantic Ocean - therefore the prevailing wave direction would be south westerly moving sediment east to west

Question 6

Evidence that the pebble ridge is an offshore bar

Answer 6

• area around westward ho has a detailed record of sea level change and ridge movement

Question 7

What is primary data?

Answer 7

data that has not previously been collected or processed - gathered fro students field work data or documents that have not been processed or analysed in any way

Question 8

Why is primary data important to collect?

Answer 8

Researchers can not be certain of the reliability of the samples taken by researchers from the secondary data, nor the accuracy of the measurement used

Question 9

What is observational data?

Answer 9

• field sketches, note taken and photos taken

Question 10

Why are field sketches useful

Answer 10

allow great interpretation of the landscape

Question 11

why are photos useful

Answer 11

allows a greater degree of detail to be observed- more accurately in color and proportion of features

Question 12

Justification of automatic leveller

Answer 12

provided an extremely accurate measurement of the staff, ensuring that the ground was level, increasing the accuracy of the recording on the staff.

Question 13

Justification of measuring tape

Answer 13

This allowed systematic data collection; students could take readings every 5m along the transect to gather data at regular intervals to see whether there is a gradual change in height of the ridge as well as changes in pebble roundness and size.

Question 14

Justification of staff

Answer 14

Fairly easy to read which increases the accuracy and is extendable so is a sufficient height to measure the cliff height

Question 15

Justification of 1 metre ruler

Answer 15

Allowed systematic sampling along the cross-transect

Question 16

Justification of calliper

Answer 16

Allowed precise measurements of the dimensions of pebbles to be collected

Question 17

What was the sampling strategy of the investigation

Answer 17

The sampling frame covers a 60m by 1500m area. Taking samples along 1500m covers the distance of the ridge and taking samples across 60m, covers the width of the ridge. The ridge was systematically sampled, this involved dividing the ridge into transects 100m apart. In terms of the ridge profile, systematic sampling was also used every 5m, using the automatic leveller.

Question 18

What was the sampling strategy of the investigation (pebble)?

Answer 18

The pebbles were sampled using stratified sampling, at the base of the ridge, the HWM (high water mark) and the top of the ridge.

Question 19

How was the data for the profile of the cobble ridge collected

Answer 19

The data for the profile of the cobble ridge was collected using an automatic leveller to measure the difference in height of the slope, for 1500 meters along the ridge in total, with a transect every 100 meters.

Question 20

How was the data for the pebbles collected?

Answer 20

One pebble was measured every meter for 10 meters, either side of the transect line. The distance between each pebble being measured was measured using a meter stick which was flipped over every meter. These measurements were taken at the beginning, middle and top of the pebble ridge. This means that there were 60 pebble measurements made for each transect, so 900 measurements were taken in total on the pebble ridge.

Question 21

How was the labour divided?

Answer 21

The labour was divided so that one person measured the pebbles, one person held up the 5 meter staff, and two people set up and operated the automatic leveler.

Question 22

Why was the labour divided in such a way?

Answer 22

because taking the pebble measurements had the simplest methodology and did not require complex equipment to be completed. Whereas the automatic leveler is a more advanced piece of equipment, which took more time and focus to set up and operate, meaning that 2 people were required for this role. One person held the 5 meter staff as this was enough to keep it stable and for it to be effective in the investigation.

Question 23

What were the weather conditions?

Answer 23

The weather conditions were dry, with little wind. Although there was little wind, this still may have impacted how steadily the staff was held due to the height of the staff, meaning that it was easily moved by the wind. However if this had been a notable issue, then another person could have been used to help stabilize the staff. There were no other impacts on the data collection as a result of weather conditions.

Question 24

What did the data of the profiles show?

Answer 24

These profiles clearly show a decreasing ridge width and height along the coastline from the slipway. This would support our hypothesis that the ridge is a spit.

Question 25

Why are line graphs suitable to show the ridge?

Answer 25

. Line graphs are suitable for this purpose as they show spatial change along a transect, and can roughly model the ridge.

Question 26

There are groynes on the beach. What does this show>

Answer 26

this management strategy suggests that long-shore drift has been occurring, which has lead to the formation of a spit.

Question 27

What does the wave direction show?

Answer 27

Wave direction is perpendicular to the beach indicating that the movement of material is also up the beach, forming an off-shore bar

Question 28

Why is taking a photograph of the ridge useful?

Answer 28

Firstly, it shows the key features of the study site to examine the human and physical features of the landscape – this can help construct a risk assessment. Additionally, the photograph can be compared with photographs of the same area taken previously and examine the changes of the ridge over time, making qualitative judgements. It also provides a visual presentation of the ridge, including the management strategies enforced as well as the wave direction and what processes may be occurring.

Question 29

Why are scatter graphs useful for data collection?

Answer 29

highlight a potential correlation between two variables.