Paper 3 - Fieldwork

Question 1

Physical enquiry question/hypothesis:

Answer 1

River meanders are faster and deeper on the outside bend

Question 2

Human enquiry question/hypothesis:

Answer 2

The development of modern industry has had a positive impact on Canary Wharf

Question 3

Wave count (coasts)/River velocity (rivers)

Answer 3

• gives an indication of the river/wave energy,
  -whether erosion or deposition is occurring.

.

Question 4

River velocity

Answer 4

can be measured by timing the journey of a float, or using a flow meter.

Question 5

By counting the number of waves in a minute,

Answer 5

you can judge whether they are constructive or destructive (constructive = 6-8 per minute; less frequent
destructive = 10-14 per minute)

Question 6

Wave count (coasts)/River velocity (rivers) - Strengths:

Answer 6

Provides quantitative data that is easy to present and analyse.
Can easily be repeated to provide an average.

Question 7

Limitations:

Answer 7

Results vary greatly depending on weather conditions and/or time of year.

Question 8

Measuring sediment size e.g. river load, beach sediment

Answer 8

done at spaced intervals along the river/coastline to assess changes.

• use a calliper to help measure accurately

Question 9

Strengths: Measuring sediment size e.g. river load, beach sediment

Answer 9

Provides quantitative data that is easy to present and analyse.
Generally accurate (although angular rocks can be difficult to measure)

Question 10

Limitations: Measuring sediment size e.g. river load, beach sediment

Answer 10

Relies on samples rather than measuring every piece of sediment. This can produce skewed/distorted results, especially if personal bias means some sediment is favoured over others (e.g. less muddy rocks!)

Question 11

Channel survey/beach profile

Answer 11

This involves measuring the width and depth of the river channel or beach e.g. using measuring tape/metre ruler. This is typically done at several intervals along the river/coastline to assess changes.

Question 12

Channel profile:

Answer 12

This can be used to test the theory that the river becomes deeper and wider along its course.

Question 13

Beach profile:

Answer 13

A narrow, steep beach indicates erosion is taking place. A wide, flatter beach indicates deposition is more dominant.

A ‘clinometer’ is used to measure the angle of the beach. It can also be used to measure the gradient of valley sides.
Strengths:
Provides quantitative data that is easy to present and analyse.

Limitations:
You might only have the time to visit one site along the river/coastline, in which case you are unable to assess change.
Results might vary at different times of year. For example, in winter months, a beach will likely be more eroded due to stronger winds.

Question 14

Strengths: Channel survey/beach profile

Answer 14

Provides quantitative data that is easy to present and analyse.

Question 15

Limitations: Channel survey/beach profile

Answer 15

You might only have the time to visit one site along the river/coastline, in which case you are unable to assess change.
Results might vary at different times of year. For example, in winter months, a beach will likely be more eroded due to stronger winds

Question 16

Species count e.g. using a Quadrat

Answer 16

This involves counting the number of species within a fixed area (e.g. types of tree, insects, birds). This gives an indication of biodiversity levels.

Quadrats can also be used to assess plant cover and/or the amount of footpath erosion taking place.
- estimate the % of plant cover or erosion with reasonable accuracy.

Question 17

species count Strengths:

Answer 17

Provides quantitative data that is easy to present and analyse.
10x10 quadrats help to measure % with reasonable accuracy

Question 18

species count Limitations:

Answer 18

Species counts might be inaccurate, especially if you are unfamiliar with local native wildlife.
Relies on sampling multiple sites. If time constraints mean you can only visit a few, this may be unrepresentative of overall biodiversity levels.

Question 19

Measuring soil or water acidity/alkalinity using a pH meter

Answer 19

This can provide an indication of the levels of acid rain and local pollution.
It could also help explain biodiversity levels in the local area.

Question 20

Measuring soil or water acidity/alkalinity using a pH meter - pros

Answer 20

Strengths:
Provides quantitative data that is easy to present and analyse.

Question 21

Measuring soil or water acidity/alkalinity using a pH meter - Limitations:

Answer 21

If not maintained/cleaned carefully, pH meters can lose accuracy and produce unreliable readings.

Question 22

Secondary Physical Geography data

Answer 22

• Old weather records from the Met Office; Flooding or erosion records from the Environment Agency.
  Historical maps or photos which show changes in landscape
  Other historical records. These could come from groups such as the Field Studies Council, universities, other school

Question 23

Secondary Physical Geography data pros

Answer 23

Strengths:
The data set is likely to be larger and more comprehensive when collected by the government/a larger institution. E.g. the Met Office is a government agency with data for the whole UK.
Can be contrasted against your own primary data findings and used to strengthen/critique your conclusions.

Question 24

Secondary Physical Geography data cons

Answer 24

Limitations:
Some sources of information may not be as reliable as they seem (e.g. some internet sources)
Some information might be harder to source e.g. historical maps that are kept in archives.

Question 25

Environmental survey/Bipolar survey

Answer 25

This helps assess the environmental quality of a location across a variety of indicators (see e.g. below). A score is assigned based on the perception of the observer(s).

Question 26

Environmental survey/Bipolar survey pros

Answer 26

Provides quantitative data that is easy to present and analyse.
Scores can be assigned to individual indicators and also added to give a total, allowing you to compare sites.
Descriptors on the proforma can help provide more accurate/consistent data.

Question 27

Environmental survey/Bipolar survey - cons

Answer 27

Limitations:
Even with descriptors, bi polar surveys are subjective (based on personal opinion).
The time of day/year can influence results, as can weather. For example, a location will appear more attractive on a sunny day, will be noisier during rush hour etc.

Question 28

Pedestrian count/traffic count

Answer 28

This involves keeping tally of different vehicle types you see in a location(s) within a fixed time frame

Question 29

Pedestrian count/traffic count

pros

Answer 29

Provides quantitative data that is easy to present and analyse.

Question 30

Pedestrian count/traffic count

cons

Answer 30

Limitations:
Human error e.g. miscounting, miscategorising a vehicle. Miscounting is particularly likely when vehicles/pedestrians are moving in lots of directions. You might also count a pedestrian twice.
Results can vary depending on the time and day (e.g. higher count during rush hour on a weekday).
Time limitations of a field trip mean you might struggle to gather a full range of results (e.g. different streets).

Question 31

Land use mapping

Answer 31

Land use mapping

This involves categorising land use in an area e.g. residential, retail, shops, services, transport etc.

Question 32

Land use mapping
pros

Answer 32

Strengths:
Categorising land use allows you to quantify how land is being used (e.g. x% of land use is residential, x number of buildings are shops)

Question 33

Land use mapping
cons

Answer 33

Limitations:
It can be difficult to categorise some land uses accurately, e.g. if it is unclear what a building is used for, or if there are multiple storeys.
‘Other’ can be used to categorise buildings that don’t fit into a clear category, but are less useful for analysis.

Question 34

Questionnaire (closed questions)
pros

Answer 34

Strengths:
Provides quantitative data that is easy to present and analyse.

Question 35

Questionnaire (closed questions)
cons

Answer 35

Limitations:
People are often too busy/unwilling to stop and respond to questionnaires. This could lead to a small and unrepresentative sample.
Responses to closed questions are generally less revealing and detailed than open questions.
You can only provide a fixed number of responses for a closed question, and ‘other’ is less useful for analysis.

Question 36

Questionnaire (open questions)

Strengths:

Answer 36

Allow you to collect more nuanced and informative responses
Can help elaborate on responses to closed questions.

Question 37

Questionnaire (open questions)
cons

Answer 37

Limitations:
People are often too busy/unwilling to stop and respond to questionnaires. This could lead to a small and unrepresentative sample.
As a qualitative form of data collection, it cannot be very easily presented.

Question 38

Secondary Human Geography data

Answer 38

This could include:
Census data: this shows information about population including size, ethnicity, religion, occupation/job, qualifications etc.
Newspaper articles that outline change in an area over time e.g. changing industry, impacts of population change
Other online sources e.g. estate agents websites give information about house prices in different areas.

Question 39

Secondary Human Geography data pros

Answer 39

Strengths:
The data set is likely to be larger and more comprehensive when collected by the government/a larger institution e.g. the Census (the whole UK population)
Can be contrasted against your own primary data findings and used to strengthen/critique your conclusions.

Question 40

Secondary Human Geography data cons

Answer 40

Limitations:
Census data is only collected every 10 years, so recent changes may not be visible in the data.
Some sources of information may not be as reliable as they seem (e.g. some internet sources)

Question 41

Field sketches

Strengths:

Answer 41

A sketch allows you to pick out the most relevant features of the landscape for your enquiry (e.g. features of physical landforms, characteristics of the built environment).
Labels and annotations allow for the adding of descriptive detail and further analysis whilst still in the field meaning it’s less likely to be forgotten.

Question 42

field sketches cons

Answer 42

Limitations:
The quality of the sketch might be limited by materials, weather conditions, lack of workspace etc.
Also a possible risk of exaggeration/bias compared to a photo which is more objective.

Question 43

Annotated photos pros

Answer 43

Strengths:
A photo is an accurate depiction of the exact landscape that you observe in the field. This will support recall of important details when completing your enquiry.

Question 44

annotated photos cons

Answer 44

Limitations:
Unless you’re able to print photos immediately (e.g. polaroids), you won’t be able to annotate key features whilst in the field. Observations might be forgotten in the meantime.